_  _    , 

The  Lonely  House 


7T 


PI  in 


The 

Lonely  House 

From  the  German  of 

ADOLF  STRECKFUSS 

Author  of  M  Too  Rich,"  "  Cattle  Hohenwald,"  etc. 

Bj 

MRS.  A.  L.  WISTER 

Translator  of  "  The  Old  Mam'.elle'i  Secret,"  "Gold  Elsie,"  "  The 
Second  Wife,"  "  The  Happy-Go-Lucky,"  etc. 


WITH   ILLUSTRATIONS    IN    COLOR    BT 
CHARLOTTE  WEBER-DITZLER 


PHILADELPHIA   &  LONDON 

J.   B.   LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY 
1907 

ni  in 


COPYRIGHT,  1907 

BY   J.   B.    LlPPINCOTT   COMPAITB 


Published  October,  1907 


*nd  frtntU  \>j  J.  B.  Liffiru.tt  C.mfsnf 
iTu  ICaihingt.n  Sjuar,  Prt,,,  PhiUdelfhia,  V.  8.  A. 


I  TAKE  PLEASURE  IN  INSCRIBING  THIS 
TRANSLATION— THE  LAST  I  SHALL  EVER 
COMPLETE  — TO  THE  CHILDREN  AND 
GRANDCHILDREN  OF  THOSE  WHO  SO  KINDLY 
WELCOMED  THE  FIRST,  PUBLISHED  A  LIFE- 
TIME AGO 

ANNIS  LEE  WISTER 


1  LlNDKNSHADB," 

WALLINGFORD,  PA. 
September,  1907 


2133086 


Contents 


OHAP.  PAGE 

I.  THE  PROFESSOR'S  PERSISTENCE 11 

II.  THE  PROFESSOR'S  FIRST  EXCURSION 41 

III.  THE  PROFESSOR'S  RETURN     65 

IV.  THE  INVESTIGATION     75 

V.  THB  INVESTIGATION  CONTINUED 88 

VI.  Two  WOUNDED  HANDS 101 

VII.  THE  Two  REQUESTS 115 

VIII.  QUIET  WEEKS 134 

IX.  AN  EXPLORING  PARTY 151 

X.  AN  ACCIDENT? 182 

XI.  FORCED  SECLUSION 210 

XII.  AN  ARREST 219 

XIII.  AN  OLD  CHEST 248 

XIV.  THE  END  OF  THE  PROFESSOR'S  HOLIDAY  ....  275 


Illustrations 


PAGE 

FRANZ  AND  ANNA Frontispiece 

"You  MUST  HELP  MB!" 242 

THEN   BEGAN   A   STRUGGLE,    A   FIGHT   FOR   LIFE   AND 
DEATH 271 


The 
Lonely  House 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PROFESSOR'S  PERSISTENCE. 

UKRAINE  !  Ukraine !  For  years  I  had  longed 
to  spend  some  weeks  in  Southern  Ukraine. 
The  descriptions  I  had  read  of  its  wonderful 
mountains  had  greatly  attracted  me;  I  was 
certain  of  adding  there  many  valuable  speci- 
mens to  my  collection ;  that  section  of  country 
had  been  so  rarely  visited  by  entomologists 
that  I  might  even  hope  to  enrich  our  German 
fauna  with  a  new  species.  Some  years  before 
a  butterfly-collector  from  Vienna  had  discov- 
ered there  the  caterpillar  of  the  beautiful  Sa- 
turnia  c&cigena,  found  previously  only  in 
Dalmatia.  Why  might  I  not  hope  for  some- 
thing equally  interesting? 

The  scenery  of  Southern  Ukraine  is  not 
thought  to  be  very  fine:  the  mountains  are 


12  The  Lonely  House 

much  less  imposing  than  in  other  Alpine  dis- 
tricts, but  the  Carpathian  range  is  said  to 
have  many  very  interesting  caves,  and  strange 
formations  of  rock,  while  for  the  naturalist  its 
fauna  and  flora  offer  a  rich  field  for  investiga- 
tion in  its  mountain  fastnesses  and  deep 
valleys. 

If  travel  in  that  section  of  the  country  were 
only  not  attended  with  such  risk  and  incon- 
venience !  Travellers  who  seemed  thoroughly 
familiar  with  its  political  and  social  condition 
warned  me  seriously  not  to  attempt  going 
thither.  The  only  tolerable  accommodation 
for  strangers,  they  said,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
larger  towns — Laibach,  Adelsberg,  etc.,  and 
on  the  high  road  followed  by  tourists ;  as  soon 
as  the  traveller  attempts  to  penetrate  the  in- 
terior he  finds  only  wretched  inns,  no  comfort 
of  any  description,  and  a  poverty-stricken 
peasantry,  speaking  the  dialect  of  the  coun- 
try, and  understanding  not  one  word  of  Ger- 
man. All  expeditions  into  the  valleys  are 
fraught  with  discomfort  and  even  hardships. 
Nevertheless,  little  alluring  as  were  the  ac- 
counts given  me  of  the  country,  the  prospect 
of  adding  to  my  collections — I  am  a  naturalist 


The  Professor's  Persistence          13 

— an  entomologist — was  so  tempting  that 
when  I  had  a  longer  vacation  than  usual  I 
determined  to  fulfil  a  long  cherished  desire 
and  to  pass  a  spring  in  Southern  Ukraine. 

And  then  the  question  arose  as  to  what 
place  I  should  make  my  headquarters.  A 
naturalist  cannot  travel  hither  and  thither 
like  an  ordinary  tourist;  he  must  establish 
himself  somewhere,  and  make  excursions  into 
the  surrounding  country,  which  he  must  in- 
vestigate thoroughly  or  he  can  hope  for  no 
results  from  his  labours ;  moreover,  the  para- 
phernalia of  his  profession  are  too  bulky  to 
be  moved  easily  from  place  to  place. 

Unfortunately  all  the  guide  books  were  too 
incomplete  to  give  me  the  least  assistance ;  I 
had  recourse  to  the  admirable  maps  of  the 
Austrian  Government,  and  in  them  I  found  a 
small  town — Luttach — which  seemed  well 
fitted  for  my  purpose.  It  is  situated  in  a 
deep  valley  in  the  midst  of  the  Carpathians, 
at  the  foot  of  a  long  spur  of  Mt.  Nanos  on 
the  road  from  Adelsberg  to  Gorz — a  road 
once  much  travelled,  but  fallen  into  disrepair 
since  the  intrusion  of  the  railroad.  From 
Luttach  the  topmost  peek  of  Mt.  Nanos  could 


14  The  Lonely  House 

be  reached  in  a  few  hours,  and  in  the  valley 
itself  there  was  sure  to  be  a  mingling  of  the 
southern  fauna  and  flora  with  those  of  the 
Alps  proper.  I  might  promise  myself  rich 
additions  to  my  collections.  Moreover  the 
many  German  names  of  the  surrounding  vil- 
lages, and  indeed  the  German  name  of  the 
town  itself,  were  very  attractive  for  me,  giv- 
ing me  hopes  that  there  might  be  German 
elements  mingling  with  the  Slavonic  civiliza- 
tion. 

Luttach  it  should  be  then.    My  two  huge 

travelling  trunks  were  duly  packed  and  I  was 

provided  with  every  requisite  for  collecting. 

[The  last  of  April  I  left  Berlin  full  of  pleasant 

anticipations. 

In  Vienna,  where  I  stopped  for  a  day  as  I 
passed  through,  I  called  on  a  friend;  he 
gravely  shook  his  head  when  he  heard  that  I 
had  chosen  Luttach  for  a  stay  of  some  weeks. 
"I  never  heard  before  of  this  God-forsaken 
hole,"  said  he;  "I  should  not  risk  going 
there,  but  since  you  are  determined  to  go, 
provide  yourself  at  least  with  a  good  re- 
volver, for  without  it  you  never  ought  to 
venture  among  the  dreary  deserts  of  the  Car- 


The  Professor's  Persistence          15 

pathians,  or  to  wander  in  those  primeval 
woods  and  forests.  It  is  dangerous  for  an 
elderly  man  like  yourself.  You  know  besides 
that  there  are  still  bears  and  wildcats  in  the 
forest  on  Mt.  Nanos,  not  to  mention  those 
two  venomous  reptiles  native  to  the  rocky 
retreats  of  the  Karst  range — the  cross-adder 
and  the  sand-viper.  More  to  be  feared  than 
all  these,  moreover,  is  the  human  beast  of 
prey  whom  you  will  surely  meet  in  your  wan- 
derings there.  You  had  really  best  relinquish 
your  plan  of  visiting  so  inhospitable  a  region. 
But  if  you  insist  upon  it,  pray  be  cautious. 
Go  well  armed,  and  do  not  venture  too  far 
among  those  desert  fastnesses." 

I  cannot  say  that  I  was  agreeably  im- 
pressed by  my  friend's  warning.  I  was  not 
formed  in  an  heroic  mould  and  I  do  not  will- 
ingly court  danger.  At  sixty,  after  a  life 
spent  principally  in  study,  there  is  small  de- 
sire for  perilous  adventure.  Although  I  am 
not  deficient  in  personal  bravery,  as  I  had 
opportunity  to  prove  in  my  student-days,  and 
afterwards  in  political  embroglios,  it  is  not 
my  nature  to  seek  for  perils.  Bears  and  wild- 
cats, and  even  venomous  serpents,  caused  me 


16  The  Lonely  House 

no  alarm — the  beasts  are  rarely  dangerous  in 
summer,  and  I  knew  well  how  to  manage  the 
reptiles;  I  had  frequently  encountered  them 
in  my  excursions  in  the  Swiss  Alps  and  even 
in  Northern  Germany.  The  danger  from 
human  beasts  of  prey  appeared  to  me  far 
more  serious,  but  even  this  could  not  deter  me 
from  carrying  out  the  plan  I  had  contem- 
plated for  so  long.  In  Vienna  I  purchased 
an  excellent  revolver  with  the  necessary  am- 
munition and  started  the  next  morning  for 
Gorz,  where  I  wished  to  visit  an  old  friend 
and  fellow-student,  who,  dwelling  so  near  the 
frontier,  would,  I  hoped,  give  me  a  less  alarm- 
ing account  of  the  country  I  wished  to  ex- 
plore. But  my  hope  was  vain;  he  was  even 
more  emphatic  than  my  Vienna  friend  had 
been,  although  he  laughed  at  the  story  of 
bears,  wildcats,  and  snakes.  He  shook  his 
head  and  said:  "I  know  nothing  of  Luttach 
and  the  surrounding  country,  except  that  on 
Nanos  the  Saturnia  c&cigena,  was  formerly  to 
be  found.  You  will  probably  make  some  good 
additions  to  your  collections,  although  I  doubt 
your  making  as  many  as  you  hope,  since  in 
the  rooky  parts  of  the  mountains  insect  life  is 


The  Professor's  Persistence          17 

sparse,  and  where  the  mountain  sides  are 
clothed  with  trees,  they  form  an  impenetrable 
primeval  forest.  I  doubt  also  whether  the 
richest  harvest  you  can  reap  will  compen- 
sate you  for  the  hardships,  the  discomforts — 
yes,  the  dangers  to  which  you  will  expose 
yourself.  The  greatest  of  these  lies  in  the 
fact  of  your  being  a  German.  The  unhappy 
strife  between  nationalities  in  Ukraine  has 
so  embittered  the  inhabitants  there  that  all 
kindly  feeling  is  extinct.  The  Slav  considers 
hatred  of  the  German  his  first  duty ;  it  is  his 
greatest  delight  to  annoy — even  to  maltreat — 
a  German.  Whether  you  can  defend  yourself 
with  your  revolver  from  such  maltreatment 
is  more  than  doubtful.  You  could  not  use  it 
against  any  single  peasant  who  should  meet 
you  in  the  forest,  and  insult  you,  or  even 
against  three  or  four,  who  might  amuse 
themselves  by  annoying  you  in  countless 
ways.  There  certainly  is  danger  of  encoun- 
tering robbers  in  those  wilds;  your  revolver 
might  serve  you  there — to  me  danger  from 
the  determined  hostility  towards  Germans 
seems  far  greater." 

This  was  encouraging!    I  almost  wonder 

2 


18  The  Lonely  House 

now  that  I  was  not  deterred  from  my  under- 
taking. If  my  respected  colleague  had  not 
expressly  stated  that  I  should  find  Saturnia 
c&cigena  on  Mt.  Nanos,  I  should  probably 
have  followed  his  advice  not  to  go  to  Luttach, 
but  my  passion  for  collecting  outweighed 
every  other  consideration.  I  refused  to  be 
intimidated,  and  started  upon  my  journey 
the  very  next  day,  arriving  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  at  Adelsberg,  whence  I  could 
reach  Luttach  in  four  hours  by  a  carriage 
road.  So  desirous  was  I  to  attain  this  goal  of 
my  wishes  that  I  resisted  the  temptation  to 
visit  the  world-renowned  Grotto  at  Adels- 
berg, postponing  this  pleasure  until  my  re- 
turn. I  hired  a  vehicle,  large  enough  to 
accommodate  myself  and  my  two  huge  travel- 
ling trunks,  and  in  half  an  hour  I  was  on  my 
way  to  Luttach. 

The  road  was  excellent,  leading  through  an 
attractive  mountain  region  among  low  hills, 
although  loftier  eminences  bounded  the  hori- 
zon. I  should  have  liked  to  know  the  names 
of  those  giant  mountains,  but  my  driver  was 
a  genuine  Slav,  who  could  not  understand  a 
word  of  German,  and  who  was  too  stupid  to 


The  Professor's  Persistence          19 

comprehend  signs,  so  all  intercourse  with  him 
was  impossible.  We  drove  swiftly,  almost  as 
swiftly  up-hill  as  down-hill,  through  a  charm- 
ingly varied  landscape,  through  forests,  past 
meadows  and  cornfields,  with  only  a  glimpse 
of  the  desolate  Karst  range  now  and  then  in 
the  distance,  until  we  rapidly  approached  the 
bare  gray  rocks  of  Mt.  Nanos — which,  as  we 
descended  by  a  winding  road  to  the  valley  of 
Luttach,  stood  out  boldly  against  the  sky. 

Time  passed  rapidly  during  the  long  drive ; 
there  was  so  much  to  see,  and  everything  that 
I  saw  was  distinctly  in  contrast  with  what  I 
had  been  led  to  expect  in  Southern  Ukraine. 
The  numerous  villages  through  which  the 
road  ran  were  entirely  different  from  the 
ruinous  Polish  hamlets  with  which  I  was 
familiar  in  Upper  Silesia;  they  consisted 
mostly  of  flourishing  farms,  with  very  few 
straw-thatched  cottages.  The  peasants  whom 
we  met  greeted  me  as  we  passed  along  with 
friendly  courtesy — they  could  not  recognize 
me  as  a  hated  German — and  the  inns  as  we 
drove  by  them,  so  far  from  presenting  pic- 
tures of  dirt  and  decay,  were  most  attractive, 
and  invitingly  clean. 


20  The  Lonely  House 

And  when  in  the  valley  we  drove  among 
meadows  bright  with  the  luxuriant  growth  of 
spring — past  vineyards  where  each  vine 
showed  careful  culture  and  was  just  putting 
forth  its  tender  leaves — along  a  road  bor- 
dered on  the  left  by  hillsides  under  full  culti- 
vation, where  countless  white  cottages  in  the 
midst  of  blossoming  orchards  betokened  a 
numerous  population,  I  could  hardly  fancy 
that  I  was  in  the  midst  of  the  ill-reputed 
desolate  Karst  range,  in  a  corner  of  the 
world  of  which  scarce  a  hint  was  to  be  found 
in  the  guide  books.  The  bald  rocky  mass  of 
Mt.  Nanos  alone,  clothed  at  its  feet  only  with 
a  forest  of  oaks,  and  the  bare  peaks  of  the 
high  range  that  seemed  to  close  in  the  valley 
in  the  distant  west,  showed  that  vegetation 
was  not  as  luxuriant  everywhere  in  the  Karst 
range  as  I  found  it  on  the  hills  to  the  left  and 
in  the  valley  itself. 

"Luttava!"  my  driver  called  out,  nod- 
ding to  me  and  pointing  with  his  whip  towards 
a  little  town  near  at  hand,  nestling  at  the  very 
foot  of  Nanos,  its  white  houses  seeming  to 
cling  to  the  rocks.  In  a  few  minutes  we  had 
reached  it,  and  after  driving  along  a  street 


The  Professor's  Persistence          21 

too  narrow  for  more  than  one  vehicle,  turned 
into  the  gateway  of  a  large  building,  before 
which  a  tall  pole  supported  a  sign  whereon  a 
golden  grape  vine  declared  it  to  be  the  inn 
recommended  to  me  before  I  left  Adelsberg. 

The  carriage  stopped  beneath  the  dim 
gateway  before  a  door  opening  directly  into 
a  spacious  kitchen,  where  in  the  huge  chim- 
ney-piece a  bright  fire  was  blazing.  Through 
the  door  I  could  see  several  men,  some  stand- 
ing, some  seated  upon  low  benches,  about  the 
fire,  all  of  whom  regarded  the  newcomer  with 
curiosity.  A  plainly  clad  but  spotlessly  clean 
dame  busied  herself  on  the  hearth,  moved  a 
steaming  pot  to  one  side,  and  hurried  out  to 
receive  me,  opening  the  carriage  door  to  help 
me  to  alight. 

"Can  I  have  a  room?" 
"Certainly!  If  the  gentleman  will  kindly 
go  upstairs,"  was  the  reply,  delivered  in 
excellent  German,  although  with  a  strong 
accent.  "Mizka,  show  the  gentleman  up  to 
Number  Two." 

Mizka,  a  pretty  slender  girl,  tripped  lightly 
before  me  up  the  stairs  leading  up  two  flights 
directly  from  the  kitchen  to  a  wide  entry, 


22  The  Lonely  House 

where  she  threw  open  the  door  of  Number 
Two,  and  courteously  held  it  open  for  me  to 
precede  her. 

The  room  was  large,  low,  and  square,  with 
two  small  windows,  looking  out  upon  the 
street.  It  probably  looked  larger  than  it 
really  was  from  the  absence  of  much  furniture 
along  its  walls.  Between  the  two  windows 
there  was  an  old-fashioned  sofa  covered  with 
gay  chintz,  and  above  its  high  back  hung  an 
oval  mirror  in  a  black  varnished  frame,  while 
before  it  stood  an  extension  table,  which  if 
pulled  out  to  its  fullest  capacity  would  have 
accommodated  twenty-four  persons.  A  tall 
cedar  clothes  press,  a  washstand,  six  chintz- 
covered  cushioned  chairs,  and  a  huge  bed 
which  had  to  be  clambered  into  by  the  help  of 
a  chair,  completed  the  furniture  of  the  room. 
The  walls,  painted  light  green,  were  adorned 
with  four  gaily  colored  prints,  each  portray- 
ing a  quarter  of  the  earth  in  the  guise  of  a 
very  ugly  and  scantily  clothed  dame,  whose 
distorted  limbs  reclined  upon  a  fantastically 
shaped  couch. 

This  was  Number  Two,  my  room.  It  cer- 
tainly did  not  look  inviting  for  a  long  stay ;  it 


The  Professor's  Persistence          23 

was  too  bare,  but  it  as  certainly  possessed  the 
unexpected  attraction  of  perfect  cleanliness. 
Not  a  speck  of  dust  lay  upon  the  few  articles 
of  furniture,  the  bare  floor  was  spotless,  and 
the  creases  in  the  white  bed  linen  bore  testi- 
mony to  its  freshness. 

"Will  the  gentleman  take  his  supper  here, 
or  below  in  the  dining-room  T '  Mizka  asked 
me  in  very  good  German. 

"I  will  come  down  as  soon  as  I  have 
washed, ' '  was  my  reply. 

"I  will  bring  fresh  water  immediately;" 
and  she  hurried  away,  returning  presently 
with  a  can  of  crystal-clear  water,  and  a  sup- 
ply of  fresh  towels,  and  followed  closely  by 
two  gigantic  porters,  each  of  whom  bore  upon 
his  shoulders  one  of  my  heavy  trunks.  Assur- 
edly thus  far  I  could  not  complain  of  lack  of 
promptitude  in  the  service  of  a  Slav  inn. 

When  I  had  freed  myself  from  the  dust  of 
travel,  and  had  changed  my  coat,  I  went  down 
to  the  dining-room;  the  way  led  through  the 
kitchen,  where  several  men  were  sitting  or 
standing  around  the  hearth,  talking  famil- 
iarly with  the  hostess,  who  was  busy  mean- 


24  The  Lonely  House 

while  with  her  cooking.  All  greeted  me 
politely  as  I  passed  through  the  room. 

When  Mizka  showed  me  into  the  spacious 
dining-room,  I  took  it  all  in  with  a  rapid 
glance.  Its  arrangement  could  not  be  called 
elegant,  but  the  cleanliness  of  the  scoured 
tables  atoned  for  its  simplicity.  There  were 
but  a  few  persons  present.  At  a  table  near  a 
window  a  young  man  sat  alone,  apparently 
absorbed  in  a  newspaper.  He  looked  up  for 
a  moment  as  I  entered,  disclosing  a  singularly 
handsome  face,  which  was  immediately  hid- 
den behind  his  paper.  The  face  was  thor- 
oughly German.  Such  deep  blue  eyes,  such 
fair,  close  curls  are  to  be  found  nowhere  save 
in  Germany.  He  was  certainly  handsome,  but 
his  expression  was  too  grave,  perhaps  even 
too  stern  and  hard  to  allow  of  his  being  thor- 
oughly attractive. 

As  far  from  this  young  man  as  the  size  of 
the  room  would  permit,  at  a  large  round 
table  near  the  tall  stove,  sat  six  or  eight  men, 
smoking  long  cigars,  with  glasses  of  wine 
before  them.  They  evidently  saw  me  enter 
and  look  about  for  a  seat,  and  one  of  them 
instantly  rose  and  motioned  courteously  with 


c 


The  Professor's  Persistence          25 

his  hand,  placing  a  chair  at  the  table,  while 
the  others  moved  aside  to  give  it  room. 

I  was  amazed  at  so  polite  a  reception  in 
this  notoriously  hostile  Slav  country,  and  I 
was  not  quite  pleased.  I  should  have  liked  to 
observe  the  magnates  of  Luttach,  who  were 
apparently  here  assembled,  from  a  distance, 
at  my  leisure,  before  making  their  acquaint- 
ance, whereas  now,  when  I  accepted  their 
invitation,  and  introduced  myself  as  a  Ger- 
man, a  Prussian,  and  worse  than  all,  from 
Berlin,  whose  citizens  are  never  popular,  their 
amiability  might  decrease.  "  Permit  me  to 
present  myself  to  you,  gentlemen,"  I  said, 
"as  Professor  Dollnitz  from  Berlin,  who 
hopes  to  spend  some  weeks  with  you  here  in 
your  beautiful  country,  collecting  plants  and 
butterflies,  beetles  and  chrysalids.  I  am  an 
old  naturalist  who  looks  forward  to  much 
gratification  here  in  your  richly  endowed 
Southern  Ukraine.'* 

I  observed  a  fleeting  smile  pass  around  the 
circle  upon  hearing  that  I,  so  old  a  man,  was 
running  after  butterflies  and  beetles,  but  I 
am  used  to  that;  all  sensible  men  regard  us 
old  entomologists  as  cranks,  and  sometimes 


26  The  Lonely  House 

jest  rather  rudely  at  our  expense;  but  this 
was  not  the  case  here;  the  gentlemen,  as  I 
could  see,  suppressed  their  smiles  at  my  but- 
terfly mania;  they  rose  very  politely  and 
formally  introduced  themselves  as  the  Dis- 
trict Judge  Foligno,  his  Assistant  Herr 
Einern,  Burgomaster  Pollenz,  a  retired 
Captain  Pollenz,  a  landed  proprietor,  Gun- 

/ther  by  name,  Herr  Weber,  a  merchant,  and 
Herr  Dietrich,  a  notary.  Strange !  All  Ger- 
man names  save  that  of  the  district  judge. 
Chance  had  surely  brought  me  among  Ger- 
mans. I  was  strengthened  in  this  belief  by 
finding  that  they  all  spoke  excellent  German, 
not  merely  with  me,  but  among  themselves; 
only  now  and  then  was  there  heard  a  brief 
remark  in  Slavonic.  I  soon  found  out  my 
mistake,  however,  when  in  the  course  of  con- 
versation I  mentioned  that  I  had  been  warned 
in  Vienna  and  in  Gorz  not  to  visit  the  Ukraine 
on  account  of  the  hostility  of  the  Slavs  to 
Germans.  The  Burgomaster  Pollenz,  a  rev- 
erend old  man,  made  reply,  speaking  with 
emphasis,  and  so  loudly  that  even  the  young 
man  sitting  by  the  window  at  the  other  end 
of  the  room  could  hear  every  word  distinctly : 


The  Professor's  Persistence          27 

"That  is  unfortunately  a  widespread  error 
which  has  brought  our  good  Ukraine  into  ill- 
repute.  We  are  all  Slavs,  and  are  proud  of 
being  so.  Our  ancestors  were  Germans,  but 
we  are  not.  The  Ukraine  is  our  home.  Who- 
ever is  born  here  and  lives  here  must  feel 
himself  a  genuine  Slav.  Those  only  do  we 
hate  among  us  who  are  disloyal  sons  of  their 
native  land,  who  would  rob  us  of  our  lan- 
guage, our  customs,  and  make  Germans  of 
us;  we  have  no  hatred  for  Germans  born. 
There  are  none  of  them  dwelling  among  us ; 

*  A,  •-  '*•''•£  •"t 

our  entire  population  is  Slavonic,  and  you 
will  soon  find  that  as  a  native-born  German 
you  will  be  kindly  received  everywhere.  It  is 
not  so  in  Laibach,  or  where,  as  there,  the 
population  is  mixed,  and  national  prejudice 
has  free  sway,  causing  constant  strife,  but 
even  there  the  Slavs  are  seldom  the  aggres- 
sive party." 

' '  Then  you  think  I  can  chase  my  butterflies 
alone  among  your  woods  and  mountains  with- 
out fear  of  insult?  I  was  expressly  warned 
in  Vienna  not  to  leave  the  house  here  without 
a  loaded  revolver  in  my  pocket  to  protect  me 
from  robbers." 


28  The  Lonely  House 

I  was  answered  by  a  burst  of  laughter.  "I 
assure  you  there  is  no  tract  of  country  in  the 
realm  of  Austria  as  perfectly  safe  as  ours," 
the  Burgomaster  replied.  "We  have  had  no 
robbery  here  for  many  years  and  I  will  guar- 
antee you  as  a  German  against  any  insult, 
unless,  indeed,"  he  raised  his  voice  again,  and 
spoke  very  loud,  "you  should  consort  with 
the  only  Slav  among  us  who  is  disloyal  to  his 
country ;  friendship  with  him  would  cause  you 
to  be  suspected  of  hostility  to  our  nation. ' ' 

The  young  man  by  the  window  had  hith- 
erto seemed  heedless  of  our  conversation; 
now  he  arose  and  approached  us.  His  flash- 
ing eyes  seemed  to  defy  each  member  of  the 
circle,  but  their  expression  grew  gentler  as  he 
addressed  the  Burgomaster.  "I  cannot  be 
angry  with  you,  Herr  Burgomaster, ' '  he  said 
gravely,  but  not  unkindly.  "Your  words 
were  offensive,  but  I  know  that  you  mean  well 
by  me  and  by  the  strange  gentleman.  You 
have  called  me  a  disloyal  son  of  my  country, 
which  I  am  not!  I  am  a  whole-souled  Aus- 
trian, but  one  also  who  can  never  forget  that 
he  is  sprung  from  German  and  Austrian 


The  Professor's  Persistence          29 

blood.  You  have  all  of  you  forgotten  this; 
I  am  true  to  the  German  tongue  and  to  Ger- 
man customs.  You  are  the  faithless  ones, 
not  I!" 

"Do  you  want  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  us  all, 
Franz?"  asked  the  Burgomaster,  regarding 
the  young  man  disapprovingly. 

"No,  but  I  cannot  allow  you  to  give  the 
strange  gentleman  a  false  idea  of  me.  More- 
over, you  need  not  fear  that  I  shall  force  my 
friendship  upon  him.  I  know  too  well  that  it 
might  cause  him  annoyance.  Good-night!" 
He  turned  upon  his  heel  and  left  the  room 
without  bestowing  a  further  glance  upon  the 
company. 

When  the  door  had  closed  behind  him,  the 
District  Judge  said:  "Franz  Schorn  always 
was  and  always  will  be  a  most  disagreeable 
fellow.  He  deserves  a  thrashing  for  his  inso- 
lence in  calling  us  all  faithless." 

"Your  cane  is  just  beside  you  in  the  cor- 
ner; why  did  you  not  use  it?"  the  Captain 
asked  with  a  sneer.  "In  fact,  Franz  is  not 
altogether  wrong.  My  brother  irritated  him 
unnecessarily;  he  would  never  have  forced 
his  company  upon  the  Herr  Professor.  He 


30  The  Lonely  House 

lives  so  quietly  and  is  so  reserved  that  he 
cannot  be  accused  of  officiousness. " 

"  'Tis  natural  that  you  should  espouse  the 
cause  of  your  future  cousin,"  remarked  the 
District  Judge  with  a  contemptuous  emphasis 
upon  the  word  " cousin." 

"I  should  be  glad  to  have  him  for  my 
cousin;  he  is  a  thoroughly  brave,  honest 
fellow." 

"But  a  German." 

"I  am  half  German  myself,  and  at  all 
events  I  should  prefer  a  German  to  an  Italian 
cousin.  The  Italians  are  always  squinting 
over  at  Italy,  and  Franz  is,  as  he  says,  a 
German- Austrian  at  least." 

"Leave  off  bickering,"  the  Burgomaster 
admonished  his  brother.  "What  will  the 
Herr  Professor  think  of  us,  if  we  quarrel  so 
before  him  over  our  wine  ? ' ' 

During  this  short  skirmish  of  words  I  took 
occasion  to  observe  the  two  antagonists  nar- 
rowly. I  liked  the  Captain's  frank,  manly 
face  and  bearing,  but  the  District  Judge  Fo- 
ligno  produced  a  very  unpleasant  impression 
upon  me.  He  was  a  man  of  about  forty,  with 
a  worn,  sallow  countenance.  His  features 


The  Professor's  Persistence  31 

were  regular;  he  might  have  been  accounted 
handsome  but  for  some  ugly  lines  about  his 
mouth,  half  hidden  though  they  were  by  a 
glossy  black  moustache,  and  a  false,  unsteady 
expression  in  his  piercing  black  eyes.  Before 
his  war  of  words  with  the  Captain  he  had 
taken  no  part  in  the  conversation,  but  had 
sat  gloomily  silent,  with  downcast  eyes,  smok- 
ing his  long  cigar  and  drinking  far  more  than 
the  others.  In  the  short  time  that  I  had  been 
present  Mizka  had  twice  filled  his  tall  glass. 

The  Burgomaster's  efforts  to  restore  peace 
were  unavailing;  the  District  Judge  renewed 
the  quarrel  by  a  malicious  remark  about  old 
army  officers  who  no  longer  knew  what  nation 
they  belonged  to.  The  Captain  retorted 
angrily,  more  bitter  words  ensued,  the  other 
gentlemen  presently  took  part  in  the  dispute, 
which  principally  concerned  the  character  of 
young  Franz  Schorn.  The  Burgomaster  alone 
was  silent ;  of  the  rest  only  the  County  Clerk, 
Herr  Einern,  sided  with  the  Captain.  While 
the  others  all  agreed  with  the  District  Judge's 
abuse  of  Franz  Schorn  as  a  rough,  arrogant 
fellow,  a  recreant  Slav,  who  was  detested  and 
despised  all  through  the  countryside,  and  were 


32  The  Lonely  House 

unanimous  in  declaring  that  "old  Pollenz" 
was  perfectly  right  in  forbidding  Franz  to 
hang  around  the  Lonely  House  watching  for 
pretty  Anna,  that  it  was  the  old  man's  patri- 
otic duty  to  shield  his  charming  daughter 
from  Schorn's  advances,  the  Clerk  and  the 
Captain  warmly  espoused  his  cause.  The 
Clerk,  in  fact,  did  not  mince  matters,  but 
frankly  characterized  as  exaggerated  and 
unjust  his  chief's  tirade  against  Franz.  The 
boldness  that  he  showed  in  doing  this  without 
in  the  least  overstepping  the  bounds  of  civil- 
ity impressed  me  very  favourably. 

I  was  soon  tired,  however,  of  listening  to  a 
discussion  which  became  more  and  more 
heated  as  time  went  on,  concerning  people  of 
whom  I  had  no  knowledge,  and  therefore 
when  I  had  finished  my  supper — an  excellent 
one,  by  the  way — and  had  emptied  my  glass 
of  wine,  I  rose  to  retire,  pleading  fatigue 
from  my  journey. 

The  gentlemen  probably  suspected  that 
their  quarrel  had  driven  me  away,  and  they 
fell  silent  in  some  confusion  while  the  Burgo- 
master said  kindly :  "  You  have  chanced  upon 
an  unfortunate  evening,  Herr  Professor.  Do 


The  Professor's  Persistence          33 

not  suppose  that  such  a  disturbance  is  fre- 
quent in  our  little  circle,  and  I  pray  you 
pardon  any  harsh  words  you  may  have  heard 
with  regard  to  Germans.  I  can  assure  you 
that  we  have  no  quarrel  with  any  Germans, 
save  those  who  should  be  Slavs.  That  we 
have  no  dislike  for  Germans  or  Germany  you 
may  see  for  yourself,  since  you  hear  us  all 
speak  your  language  among  ourselves,  and 
pray  do  not  let  this  evening's  experience  pre- 
vent you  from  joining  our  circle  in  future. 
You  will  always  be  an  honoured  and  welcome 
guest." 

I  pressed  the  good  man's  hand  cordially 
and  followed  Mizka,  who  stood  with  lighted 
candle  ready  to  show  me  to  my  room. 

I  thought  it  not  indiscreet  to  gossip  a  little 
with  pretty  Mizka  while  she  was  arranging 
my  bed,  and  to  learn  from  her  something 
regarding  the  gentlemen  whose  acquaintance 
I  had  made  below,  and  with  whom  I  should 
probably  have  daily  intercourse  during  some 
weeks  to  come.  I  could  not  have  sought  infor- 
mation from  a  better  source. 

Mizka  had  been  born  in  Luttach ;  she  knew 
all  about  every  inhabitant  of  the  town,  and 

3 


34  The  Lonely  House 

she  felt  highly  honored  by  "the  gentleman's" 
desire  to  converse  with  her.  In  her  gratitude 
she  detailed  all  that  I  wished  to  know.  I 
learned  that  the  Burgomaster,  Herr  Pollenz, 
was  the  owner  of  the  "Golden  Grapevine," 
which  Mizka 's  aunt,  Frau  Franzka,  or  rather, 
her  husband,  rented  from  him ;  he  was  now  a 
guest  in  his  own  house,  occupying  with  his 
brother,  a  pensioned  captain,  the  entire 
second  story. 

Mizka  was  eloquent  in  praise  of  the  two 
brothers,  whom  she  described  as  the  best  and 
truest  of  men.  No  one  could  be  as  thorough! y 
kind  as  the  Burgomaster ;  he  was,  in  fact,  too 
kind,  for  he  was  sometimes  really  pinched  for 
money  himself,  because  he  could  not  refuse  to 
give  or  to  lend  to  the  poor,  and  there  were 
evil-disposed  people  who  abused  his  benevo- 
lence. He  was  very  wise,  too,  and  learned. 
Whoever  in  all  Luttach  stood  in  need  of  good 
counsel  could  be  sure  of  finding  it  from  the 
Burgomaster.  He  and  the  Captain  were 
much  respected,  not  only  in  Luttach,  but 
throughout  the  countryside. 

Mizka  gave  unstinted  praise  also  to  the 
County  Clerk,  Herr  von  Einern,  for  whom 


The  Professor's  Persistence          35 

every  one  in  Luttach  had  a  good  word,  regret- 
ting that  he  was  not  District  Judge  and 
Foligno  the  Clerk;  he  was  too  young  for  a 
Judge  as  yet,  but  he  was  sure  of  promotion, 
for  he  belonged  to  a  very  old  Luttach  family 
— his  father  was  a  general — although  he  never 
prided  himself  upon  his  position,  but  was 
kind  and  courteous  to  the  very  poorest, 
whereas  the  Judge  was  often  rude  and  harsh 
to  poor  people  in  court. 

Mizka  had  nothing  pleasant  to  say  of  the 
Judge.  He  was  out-and-out  Italian  although 
his  grandfather  had  settled  in  Luttach  and  he 
himself  could  not  speak  Italian  fluently;  but 
an  Italian  was  always  an  Italian;  he  never 
could  be  a  true  Slav.  Yet  he  was  not  temper- 
ate, like  most  Italians;  he  drank  too  much, 
and  was  not  content  with  the  good  Luttach 
wine,  but  always  wanted  some  special  kind 
for  himself.  That  was  why  he  was  always 
needing  money.  Eighteen  hundred  gulden 
was  a  good  salary;  many  a  Judge  could  live 
comfortably  upon  it  with  a  wife  and  children, 
whereas  he,  though  a  bachelor,  was  always  in 
debt.  He  already  owed  Frau  Franzka  nearly 
five  hundred  gulden,  and  Mizka  could  not 


36  The  Lonely  House 

understand  why  her  aunt  would  go  on  lend- 
ing to  him.  He  had  the  best  two  rooms  in  the 
upper  story — Number  Twelve,  just  above  the 
Herr  Professor's  Number  Two,  and  Number 
Thirteen — but  he  had  paid  nothing  for  them 
for  a  year,  and  yet  he  behaved  as  if  he  was 
the  greatest  guest  in  the  house ;  nothing  was 
good  enough  for  him.  He  often  drove  to 
•; ..  i  Gorz,  where  he  consorted  with  the  officers, 
and  'twas  said  that  he  had  sometimes  lost  at 
play  more  than  a  hundred  gulden  in  one  even- 
ing. He  had  long  since  squandered  all  the 
property  he  inherited  from  his  father;  he 
had  a  house  in  Luttach,  but  not  a  stone  of  it 
really  belonged  to  him ;  he  had  mortgaged  it 
all  to  the  wealthy  old  Pollenz,  the  Burgomas- 
ter's cousin,  and  whoever  got  into  the  clutches 
of  that  old  man  never  got  free  until  he  had 
lost  his  last  penny ;  for  old  Pollenz,  who  lived 

Jin  the  last  house  on  the  mountainside — it  was 
/  called  "the  Lonely  House" — was   a  hard- 
hearted usurer. 

Old  Pollenz  now  owned  forests,  vineyards, 
meadows,  and  farmlands,  for  which  he  ex- 
acted the  highest  rents;  all  his  money  had 
been  made  by  usury,  and  woe  to  the  peasant 


The  Professor's  Persistence          37 

to  whom  he  had  lent  any — he  was  sure  to  be 
obliged  to  sell  all  that  he  possessed  to  satisfy 
his  creditor's  demands.  The  man  was  a  hate- 
ful old  miser ;  in  spite  of  his  wealth  he  hardly 
dared  to  eat,  and  never  entered  an  inn  to 
drink  a  glass  of  good  wine.  He  lived  with  his 
daughter,  pretty  Anna,  and  an  old  servant 
maid,  apart  from  everybody,  in  the  Lonely 
House ;  its  windows  barred  with  iron,  because 
he  was  constantly  in  dread  of  robbers, 
although  there  had  never  been  a  robbery  or 
burglary  in  all  the  countryside  within  the 
memory  of  man.  But  the  old  fellow  was  so 
afraid  of  thieves  that  he  would  let  no  one 
enter  the  house  whom  he  did  not  know  well, 
and  he  always  went  armed  with  a  couple  of 
pistols  and  a  big  knife. 

He  was  most  afraid  of  Franz  Schorn,  and 
had  often  said  of  him:  "If  he  should  meet 
me  alone,  he'd  be  sure  to  do  me  a  mischief, 
but  I'll  be  even  with  him.  I'll  shoot  him  like 
a  mad  dog  sooner  than  let  him  attack  me." 
The  old  man's  dread  in  this  case  was  not  quite 
without  cause,  for  Franz  was  a  rough  fellow, 
who  might  well  assault  a  mortal  enemy,  and 
the  two  had  been  mortal  enemies  ever  since 


38  The  Lonely  House 

two  years  before,  when  old  Pollenz  drove 
Franz  from  his  door  with  curses. 

The  old  man  was  a  bitter  foe  of  the  Ger- 
mans, and  had  fallen  into  a  terrible  rage  when 
some  one  had  told  him  that  Franz  was  sneak- 
ing around  his  house  courting  pretty  Anna. 
And  so,  when  one  day  Franz  did  not  sneak 
around  the  house,  but  boldly  entered  it  and 
asked  for  pretty  Anna  for  his  wife,  the  old 
man  became  almost  insane  with  fury;  he 
drove  the  young  fellow  out  of  doors  with 
blows  and  curses,  although  Anna  wept  and 
entreated,  saying  that  she  would  rather  die 
than  give  up  her  Franz. 

Just  at  that  time  the  Judge,  who  certainly 
had  need  of  a  rich  wife,  asked  old  Pollenz  to 
take  him  for  his  son-in-law.  The  old  miser 
said  "yes,"  thinking  to  make  an  end  of  pretty 
Anna's  love  affair  with  Franz.  He  told  his 
daughter  that  she  must  marry  the  Judge,  but 
/  Anna  refused.  To  all  her  father's  threats  she 
answered,  "I'd  rather  die!  You  may  drag 
me  to  the  altar,  but  you  cannot  compel  me  to 
utter  a  'yes'!"  And  so  the  Judge  got  the 
mitten  in  spite  of  the  father's  consent.  Ever 
since  then  he  had  been  a  deadly  enemy  to 


The  Professor's  Persistence          39 

Franz  Schorn ;  every  child  knew  how  he  had 
got  the  mitten  in  the  Lonely  House;  he  had 
often  been  teased  about  it,  and  the  malicious 
Italian  would  never  forgive  Franz  Schorn 
because  of  it. 

Such,  in  brief,  was  the  sum  of  Mizka's  in- 
formation; she  would  gladly  have  talked  on, 
but  I  was  afraid  she  might  be  wanted  in  the 
room  below,  so  I  dismissed  her  with  a  ' '  Good- 
night." 

I  admit  that  she  had  interested  me  much 
with  her  gossip.  I  now  understood  many 
words  and  phrases  that  had  escaped  the  gen- 
tlemen below  in  the  heat  of  their  quarrel, 
and  I  perfectly  comprehended  the  bitter- 
ness of  the  Judge's  hostility  to  Franz  Schorn. 
A  love  story  in  a  Slav  village !  But  what  did 
it  all  matter  to  me!  What  possible  interest 
could  an  old  naturalist,  sixty  years  of  age, 
take  in  the  love  affairs  of  a  young  fellow 
whom  he  did  not  know,  and  the  disappoint- 
ment and  lack  of  money  of  a  very  disagree- 
able District  Judge?  There  was  absolutely 
no  reason  why  I  should  mix  myself  up  with 
such  matters,  or  even  bestow  a  thought  upon 
them.  That  was  not  why  I  was  in  Luttach, 


40  The  Lonely  House 

but  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  plants,  but 
terflies,  and  beetles,  which  I  resolved  to  begin 
to  do  the  next  morning,  oblivious  of  all  love 
affairs,  German  or  Slav. 

I  undressed,  mounted  a  chair  and  made  a 
bold  leap  which  landed  me  in  the  midst  of  the 
maize  straw  with  which  the  bed  had  been 
stuffed.  It  was  not  a  luxurious  couch,  but 
fatigue  sleeps  well  even  upon  a  poor  one.  I 
had  scarcely  extinguished  the  candle  on  the 
table  beside  my  bed  when  I  fell  into  a  deep 
and  dreamless  sleep. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  PROFESSOR'S  FIEST  EXCURSION. 

THE  sun  shining  brightly  into  my  room 
awoke  me  about  five  o'clock.  I  got  up,  dressed 
myself  quickly,  and  went  down  to  the  kitchen, 
where  Mizka  had  already  kindled  a  bright 
fire  on  the  hearth.  She  assured  me  that  my 
coffee  would  be  ready  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
and  that  she  would  bring  it  out  to  me  in  the 
garden.  There  I  met  the  Captain,  who,  enjoy- 
ing his  morning  pipe,  was  walking  to  and  fro 
between  the  flower  beds.  Now  and  then  he 
would  stop  before  an  opening  rose,  regarding 
it  with  eyes  really  full  of  affection.  He 
greeted  me  cordially. 

''You  are  an  early  riser,  Herr  Professor," 
he  said  with  a  smile.  "I  thought  all  those 
who  lived  in  largt  cities  never  rose  before 
eight  o'clock,  but  I  am  glad  that  you  are  an 
exception,  for  the  mornings  and  evenings 
with  us  are  the  most  delightful  time  of  the 
day.  At  noon  the  sun  is  far  too  hot  and 
glowing  to  enable  us  to  enjoy  the  beauty  that 

[411 


42  The  Lonely  House 

lies  about  us  here.  Only  look  at  these  rose- 
buds, how  beautiful  they  are,  each  one  with  a 
diamond  dewdrop  in  its  breast !  Are  they  not 
enchantingly  lovely?" 

He  chattered  on,  pointing  out  to  me  every 
blossom  that  delighted  him,  and  taking  posi- 
tive joy  in  all.  He  conducted  me  through  the 
garden,  which  was  not  very  large,  and  at  the 
end,  of  it  he  unlatched  a  gate  that  was  not 
locked. 

' '  Now  I  must  show  you  the  only  thing  per- 
haps that  we  have  worth  showing  in  Luttach. 
Pray  follow  me,"  and  he  walked  before  me 
through  the  open  garden  gate.  After  a  few 
steps  we  reached  the  banks  of  a  broad,  brawl- 
ing brook,  which  seemed  in  all  its  breadth  and 
force  to  come  directly  from  out  the  rocky  wall 
before  us.  The  rock  must  certainly  have  been 
thoroughly  undermined.  From  countless 
smaller  and  larger  openings  the  crystal-clear 
water  streamed  with  such  power  that  the 
numerous  jets  instantly  formed  a  broad  deep 
brook. 

"This  is  the  Luttach.  On  the  north  side 
of  Nanos  the  raging  Voyna  rushes  through  a 
savage  rocky  vale,  suddenly  vanishing  with- 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      43 

out  a  trace;  the  mountain  engulfs  it.  They 
say  that  the  Voyna  in  the  interior  of  Nanos 
forms  a  deep  unfathomable  lake  and  from 
this  lake  in  the  interior  of  the  mountain  it 
flows  on,  breaking  through  the  rocks,  to  come 
to  light  again  here  as  the  Luttach  brook. 
This  may  be  possible,  for  Nanos,  like  the 
whole  Karst  range,  is  absolutely  riddled  with 
caves.  The  famous  Adelsberg  Grotto  would 
not  be  the  unparalleled  wonder  that  it  is,  if 
our  population  were  not  too  indolent  to  ex- 
plore the  hollow  openings  and  grottoes  in  our 
side  of  the  mountain.  Why,  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  Luttach  there  are  two 
caves,  the  depth  of  which  is  known  to  none, 
for  no  one  has  ever  taken  the  trouble  to  ex- 
plore them,  except  for  a  few  yards." 

'  *  What  absolutely  unconscionable  neglect ! ' ' 
I  rejoined.  "If  you  could  succeed  in  finding 
here  a  spring,  a  mineral  spring  as  wonderful 
with  its  grottoes  as  that  of  Adelsberg,  think 
of  how  it  would  attract  travellers  and  what  a 
goal  it  would  be  for  all  tourists." 

The  Captain  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "I 
really  do  not  know  whether  our  Luttach  popu- 
lation would  desire  this.  They  certainly  feel 


44  The  Lonely  House 

no  wish  for  it  at  present.  Besides,  it  is  ques- 
tionable if  our  grottoes  are  really  very  large 
in  extent,  and  it  is  probable  that  their  explo- 
ration would  be  attended  with  some  difficulty 
and  perhaps  indeed  danger.  I  have  never 
thought  of  making  an  attempt  to  explore  one 
or  the  other  of  these,  but,  if  you  desire  to  do 
so,  Herr  Professor,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to 
accompany  you. ' ' 

I  joyfully  accepted  the  Captain's  offer. 
Under  all  circumstances  the  exploration  of  a 
cave,  hitherto  unknown,  possesses  for  me 
extraordinary  interest ;  in  the  depths  of  these 
caves  in  the  Karst  range  are  found  rare  cave 
beetles,  the  species  is  confined  entirely  to 
such  places.  It  might  well  be  possible  to  dis- 
cover in  the  Luttach  grotto  a  species  hitherto 
unknown.  Such  a  prospect  made  me  forget 
the  threatened  difficulty  and  danger. 

The  Captain  smiled  when  he  heard  the 
reason  for  my  interest.  That  a  human  being 
should  be  ready  to  subject  himself  to  inconve- 
nience and  even  to  danger  that  he  might  dis- 
cover a  new  beetle  appeared  to  him  extremely 
ridiculous,  but  he  was  too  polite  to  make  this 
evident.  He  promised  to  look  about  for  some 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      45 

strong,  courageous  men,  who,  armed  with 
torches,  ladders,  and  ropes,  should  accom- 
pany us  into  the  caves. 

"I  hope,"  he  said,  "that  you  will  reap  a 
rich  harvest  of  rare  cave  beetles,  but  even  if 
you  do  not  succeed  you  will  be  abundantly 
repaid  by  the  beetles  and  butterflies  which 
you  will  find  on  the  slopes  of  Nanos.  A  nat- 
uralist from  Vienna,  who  was  here  about  ten 
years  ago  and  spent  six  weeks  in  Luttach,  was 
thoroughly  enraptured  by  the  richness  of  his 
discoveries.  I  was  then  at  home  on  leave  and 
frequently  talked  with  him.  His  best  and 
rarest  caterpillars  he  found  near  the  Chapel 
of  St.  Nikolas,  I  believe,  upon  the  leaves  of 
beeches  and  oaks." 

Here  was  an  important  piece  of  news !  The 
caterpillars  of  the  Saturnia  ccecigena,  the  rare 
Dalmatian  butterfly  which  had  lured  me  to 
Luttach,  lived  upon  beech  and  oak  leaves.  I 
immediately  determined  to  seek  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  Chapel  of  St.  Nikolas  this 
very  day.  To  St.  Nikolas  my  first  excursion 
should  be  made. 

I  asked  the  Captain  the  way  thither.  ' '  You 
cannot  miss  it,"  he  answered;  " there  are  two 


46  The  Lonely  House 

paths,  each  very  easy  to  find.  The  first,  which 
is  perhaps  fifteen  minutes  the  nearer,  is  steep 
in  its  beginning,  and  even  dangerous  for  un- 
accustomed mountain  climbers.  Part  of  it 
you  can  see  from  here.  It  begins  there  at 
that  elder  bush  and  leads  directly  up  the  rocks 
by  steps  partly  natural  and  partly  artificial, 
most  of  them,  however,  giving  space  only  for 
one  foot.  A  false  step,  a  slip,  might  be  dis- 
astrous, therefore  I  can  hardly  advise  you  to 
take  this  nearer  path  over  the  rocks.  It  is 
not  long;  in  five  minutes  you  would  reach  a 
very  pleasant,  gently  ascending  footpath, 
which  in  fifteen  minutes  more  would  lead  you 
past  the  Lonely  House,  to  reach  in  another 
quarter  of  an  hour  the  Chapel  of  St.  Nikolas 
in  a  direct  line.  The  second  path,  just  as 
easy  to  find,  is  very  charming,  beginning  at 
the  last  house  of  Luttach  and  leading  to  the 
left  from  the  road  to  Adelsberg,  winding 
through  meadows  and  through  oak  forests, 
and  ascending  gently,  past  the  scattered 
houses  of  the  village  of  Oberberg.  After  per- 
haps half  an  hour  you  reach  a  large  crucifix 
at  a  fork  of  the  pathway.  The  path  to  the  left 
leads  to  the  Lonely  House,  that  to  the  right 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      47 

directly  to  the  Chapel  of  St.  Nikolas  without 
going  near  the  Lonely  House;  you  cannot 
miss  it.  I  advise  you  to  take  the  longer  path. 
The  shorter  is  seldom  used  even  by  the  inhab- 
itants of  Luttach,  because  it  is  certainly  dan- 
gerous in  descending.  The  District  Judge 
alone,  who  is  very  fond  of  flowers,  often 
climbs  up  the  steep  rocks,  in  search  of  rare, 
beautiful  plants." 

The  advice  was  well  meant,  and  I  deter- 
mined to  follow  it,  although  the  mention  of 
the  rare  and  beautiful  plants  allured  me. 
Still,  I  do  not  willingly  expose  myself  to  dan- 
ger. We  returned  to  the  garden,  where  our 
coffee  awaited  us  in  a  pretty  arbour  covered 
with  wild  grapevine. 

I  hurried  my  breakfast,  for  I  was  burning 
with  impatience  to  find  near  St.  Nikolas  my 
entomological  treasures.  Scarcely  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  had  passed  before  I  started  on  my 
way  thither,  supplied  with  a  cane  and  a  large 
umbrella,  my  tin  box  upon  my  back,  my  pock- 
ets filled  with  glasses  for  beetles  and  boxes 
for  caterpillars  and  butterflies. 

The  Captain  had  described  the  path  to  me 
so  exactly  that  I  really  could  not  miss  it.  He 


48  The  Lonely  House 

had  called  it  charming,  but  it  was  more  than 
that.  It  was  wondrously  beautiful.  It  was  a 
joy  to  ascend  the  mountain  quietly,  while 
fresh  beauties  of  the  landscape  revealed 
themselves  at  every  step.  At  my  feet  lay  the 
pretty  little  town  of  Luttach,  framed  in  emer- 
ald green  meadows,  bounded  by  the  steep 
rocky  wall  against  which  it  leaned.  On  the 
summit  of  this  bare  rock,  majestically  en- 
throned, were  the  remains  of  a  ruined  old 
castle,  whose  knightly  possessor  had  in  for- 
mer times  probably  ruled  over  the  rich  valley 
of  the  Luttach. 

Wherever  the  eye  turned,  whether  down- 
ward to  the  houses  and  cottages  in  the  valley, 
surrounded  with  blooming  orchards,  or  to 
the  distant  view  where  the  mighty  mountain 
range  bounded  the  horizon,  its  rocky  peaks 
glowing  in  the  sunlight — everywhere,  it  filled 
me  with  rapture. 

And  then,  the  fresh,  delicious  morning !  It 
was  a  joy  indeed  to  wander  thus  in  the  moun- 
tains. 

The  crucifix  on  the  path  was  very  quickly 
reached.  I  turned  to  the  right,  and  soon  the 
little  Church  of  St.  Nikolas  lay  before  me. 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      49 

Hitherto  I  had  sturdily  strode  on  without 
being  detained  by  my  desire  to  collect.  But 
now,  when  the  goal  of  my  wanderings  was 
reached,  I  began  to  search.  Once  more  I 
turned  on  the  steps  of  the  church  to  feast 
upon  the  wonderful  view  above  the  tops  of 
the  oaks  growing  in  the  valley  below,  and 
then  I  began  my  work.  I  could  have  scarcely 
found  a  piece  of  ground  more  adapted  for 
my  purpose  than  this  around  St.  Nikolas. 
The  church  lay  in  the  midst  of  a  forest  of  tall 
oaks;  around  them  there  was  a  rich  under- 
growth, and  where  their  trunks  were  more 
rare,  there  spread  a  carpet  of  charming  wild- 
flowers,  above  which  countless  butterflies  flut- 
tered from  one  blossom  to  another.  The  wood 
above  the  chapel  consisted  partly  of  ancient 
trees  and  shrubbery,  climbing  the  gentle 
slope  of  Nanos  until  it  reached  the  bald  rock 
which  showed  no  trace  of  vegetation. 

My  first  attempts  at  collection  were  re- 
warded by  an  astonishing  result.  I  found 
upon  the  leaves  of  an  oak  a  caterpillar  en- 
tirely unknown  to  me.  When  I  examined  it 
more  closely,  it  recalled  to  me  the  description 


50  The  Lonely  House 

which  I  had  seen  of  the  Saturnia  ccecigena. 
My  dearest  wish  was  fulfilled. 

Only  a  naturalist  can  form  an  idea  of  my 
joyful  emotion,  my  delight,  and  the  passion 
for  collecting  which  this  first  specimen 
aroused  in  me.  1  forgot  everything:  the 
beauty  of  the  landscape,  to  which  I  now  paid 
no  attention ;  the  difficulty  of  finding  my  way 
in  the  forest  without  a  guide,  the  danger  of 
treading  upon  one  of  the  poisonous  reptiles 
native  to  the  Karst  range — in  short,  I  wan- 
dered about  animated  only  by  the  desire  to 
procure  more  specimens  of  this  rare  and 
beautiful  insect,  and  the  more  I  found,  the 
more  the  desire  increased.  I  never  noticed 
that  hours  had  passed,  that  the  refreshing 
morning  had  given  place  to  an  intensely  hot 
noon,  and  that  the  exertion  of  climbing  and 
searching  had  caused  the  perspiration  to 
stream  from  my  forehead.  But  at  last  my 
sixty  years  asserted  their  right.  I  began  to 
be  tired  and  to  feel  very  thirsty,  as  the  sound 
of  church  bells  ascended  from  the  valley.  I 
looked  at  my  watch;  twelve  o'clock!  More 
than  six  hours  had  I  passed  in  unbroken 
labour,  and  surely  a  man  of  sixty  had  the 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      51 

right  to  be  a  little  tired  and  to  think  of  home, 
especially  since  all  my  boxes  were  well  filled. 

I  found  myself  in  a  dense  forest  at  a  con- 
siderable height  above  the  little  Church  of  St. 
Nikolas,  but  whether  to  the  right  or  to  the  left 
of  it  I  could  not  say,  since  I  had  walked  along 
searching  here  and  there,  without  a  thought 
of  the  direction  in  which  I  was  going.  I 
might  have  informed  myself  as  to  this  if  I 
could  have  obtained  a  view  of  the  valley,  but 
the  tall  undergrowth  made  this  impossible. 
There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  walk  in  the 
direction  of  Luttach,  keeping  to  the  right, 
down  the  mountain,  and  endeavouring  to 
avoid  any  precipices,  hoping  thus  to  find  the 
path  in  a  roundabout  way. 

If  it  were  not  so  oppressively  hot!  The 
oaks,  covered  with  the  early  foliage  of  spring, 
hardly  afforded  any  depth  of  shade.  They 
could  not  protect  me  from  the  burning  rays 
of  the  midday  sun.  The  thirst  which  tor- 
mented me  grew  more  intense  with  every  min- 
ute, and  almost  intolerable.  I  longed  for  one 
swallow  of  water.  Surely  I  could  not  be  far 
from  some  cottage.  Fortunately,  in  the  morn- 
ing the  Captain  had  taught  me  the  most  im- 


52  The  Lonely  House 

portant  word  in  the  Slavonic  tongue,  ivoda, 
"water."  This  word  formed  my  entire  Slav- 
onic vocabulary,  but  it  would  suffice  to  inform 
any  Slav  of  my  need. 

I  strode  on  sturdily,  keeping  to  the  right 
down  the  mountain,  and  by  good  fortune  en- 
countered no  precipice.  After  a  little  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  I  struck  a  footpath 
which  wound  about  gently  in  the  direction  of 
Luttach.  I  pursued  it,  and  I  had  proceeded 
but  a  few  steps  when  in  a  little  turn  of  the 
way  I  perceived  a  solitary  pedestrian  coming 
towards  me.  I  immediately  recognized  the 
young  man  about  whom  there  had  been  so 
lively  a  discussion  in  the  Golden  Grapevine, 
Franz  Schorn.  He  was  ascending  the  moun- 
tain path  slowly,  with  eyes  fixed  gloomily  on 
the  ground.  He  did  not  see  me  until,  when  I 
was  scarcely  thirty  steps  from  him,  he  sud- 
denly raised  his  head  as  if  listening.  Then 
he  started  violently  upon  perceiving  me.  For 
a  moment  he  seemed  undetermined  as  to  what 
he  should  do.  He  paused,  regarded  me  darkly, 
then  turned  away,  without  a  greeting,  and 
in  a  moment  more  had  vanished  in  the  thick 
undergrowth  of  the  forest. 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      53 

A  very  strange  fellow !  He  need  not  have 
considered  himself  so  strictly  bound  by  his 
promise  not  to  press  his  friendship  upon  me. 
He  need  not  have  grudged  me  a  kindly  greet- 
ing and  a  word  or  two.  I  should  have  liked 
to  ask  him  about  the  nearest  cottage  where  I 
could  perhaps  get  a  drink  of  water,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it ;  I  could  not  run  after  him 
and  must  find  my  way  for  myself. 

I  pursued  the  footpath  further.  To  my  joy 
I  soon  found  myself  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
a  house,  but  as  I  approached  it  my  joy  turned 
to  disappointment.  All  the  windows — not 
only  those  of  the  ground  floor,  but  those  of 
the  first  story — were  provided  with  strong 
iron  bars,  and  I  made  sure  that  I  had  reached 
the  Lonely  House,  whose  possessor,  old  Pol- 
lenz,  according  to  all  that  I  had  heard  of  him, 
could  hardly  be  expected  to  show  any  civility 
to  a  hated  German.  Should  I  ask  him  for  a 
drink  of  water?  It  would  not  be  pleasant  to 
be  rudely  refused  so  modest  a  request.  If  I 
had  not  been  tortured  with  thirst,  I  would 
rather  have  continued  upon  my  path  to  Lut- 
tach  instead  of  asking  any  favour  of  the  old 
usurer ;  but  he  could  at  most  only  return  me  a 


54  The  Lonely  House 

surly  "No,"  so  I  determined  to  try  it.  On 
reaching  the  house,  contrary  to  my  expecta- 
tion I  found  the  front  door  wide  open, 
although  Mizka  had  told  me  that  old  Pollenz 
almost  always  kept  it  locked  and  would  not 
open  it  until  continued  knocking  had  removed 
all  suspicion  of  thieves. 

Uncertain  whether  or  not  to  enter,  I  stood 
before  the  open  door ;  it  looked  into  a  spacious 
hall  running  through  the  entire  house,  ending 
in  another  door  which  probably  led  into  the 
courtyard.  That  I  confronted  the  Lonely 
House  was  made  certain  by  the  huge  iron 
bolts  with  which  the  door  towards  the  court- 
yard was  secured.  A  steep  staircase  leading 
to  the  upper  story  led  from  one  side  of  the 
hall.  Opposite  the  staircase  was  a  door ;  and 
two  other  doors,  one  to  the  right,  one  to  the 
left  of  the  entrance,  led  into  the  inner  rooms 
of  the  house ;  they  were  all  closed. 

I  entered  and  knocked  modestly  at  the  door 
on  my  left.  No  reply;  no  "Come  in."  I 
listened ;  there  was  not  a  sound  to  be  heard ; 
an  uncanny  stillness  reigned  throughout  the 
house.  I  knocked  again,  more  loudly,  and 
then,  after  a  pause,  more  loudly  still  for  the 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      55 

third  time.  The  sound  of  my  knocking  was 
so  loud  that  it  surely  must  have  been  heard 
within,  but  it  met  with  no  response.  I  waited 
in  vain. 

A  strange  and  uncomfortable  sensation 
overcame  me.  I  dreaded  the  Lonely  House, 
where  everything  seemed  dead.  What  folly! 
An  old  man  should  have  more  sense.  I  was 
ashamed  of  this  strange  and  disagreeable 
sensation  and  turned  towards  the  door  on  the 
right  of  the  entrance.  Perhaps  my  knock 
here  might  have  a  better  result.  No  longer  as 
modestly  as  before,  I  knocked  loudly,  and  the 
door,  which  happened  to  be  only  ajar,  opened 
slowly  of  itself.  I  cast  one  look  into  a  spa- 
cious room,  and  staggered  back,  overcome  by 
intense  horror. 

There,  almost  in  the  centre  of  the  apart- 
ment, a  motionless  figure  lay  upon  the  floor 
in  a  pool  of  blood,  which  had  stained  the  white 
boards  dark  red.  Such  horror,  such  intense 
dread,  seized  me  that  my  first  thought  was  of 
flight  as  swift  as  my  feet  could  carry  me  from 
this  terrible  sight ;  but  the  next  moment  I  was 
ashamed  of  such  cowardly  fear.  Perhaps  the 
unfortunate  man  who  lay  there  in  his  blood 


56  The  Lonely  House 

still  lived.  Perhaps  I  might  help  him.  I 
overcame  the  paralyzing  terror  and  entered 
the  room. 

All  that  I  saw  there  only  increased  my 
horror.  No  mortal  help  could  avail  the  un- 
fortunate man  whose  stiffened  corpse  lay  be- 
fore me.  He  had  either  killed  himself,  or  had 
been  horribly  murdered.  His  throat  was  cut, 
and  from  the  gaping  wound  dark  drops  of 
blood  were  still  trickling.  The  pale,  bloodless, 
distorted  countenance  was  that  of  a  dead 
man. 

Had  there  been  a  murder  here?  Had  the 
old  man's  foreboding,  always  dwelling  upon 
burglars  and  murderers,  been  fulfilled?  Per- 
haps the  murderer  was  still  in  the  house.  The 
horrible  crime  could  not  have  been  committed 
for  long,  for  the  blood  had  not  yet  congealed ; 
some  drops  were  still  trickling  from  the 
wound. 

Horror  seized  me  afresh.  I  looked  timidly 
about  me.  It  seemed  to  me  the  murderer 
might  be  near.  Hastily  I  drew  from  my 
breast  pocket  my  loaded  revolver ;  I  was  safe 
from  any  attack  and  could  look  about  me  with 
less  agitation. 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      57 

There  was  no  doubt  that  a  horrible  crime 
had  been  committed  here.  There  upon  the 
floor,  at  some  distance  from  the  dead  man,  lay 
a  bloody  knife,  near  a  large  cabinet,  the  fold- 
ing doors  of  which  stood  wide  open.  Several 
drawers  had  been  drawn  out  and  papers  lay 
scattered  upon  the  floor.  The  murderer  had 
apparently  been  searching  the  cabinet  for 
money  or  valuables,  and  had  scattered  about 
these  papers. 

Had  he  been  startled  by  my  knocking  and 
escaped?  If  so,  he  must  have  passed  through 
the  door  which  led  on  the  left  to  an  adjoining 
room,  for  the  windows  here  were  barred. 

I  summoned  all  my  courage  to  follow  him, 
but  there  was  no  need,  for  the  door  leading 
outside  was  bolted  and  no  one  could  have  left 
the  room  by  it.  He  must  have  escaped  before 
I  entered ;  he  might  be  concealed  somewhere 
near ;  but,  again,  he  might  have  left  the  house, 
and,  in  his  hasty  flight,  have  forgotten  to  close 
the  front  door. 

What  should  I  do?  Ought  I  not  to  search 
the  place  f  Yet  if  he  were  not  there,  all  search 
would  be  unavailing,  and  if  I  found  him,  it 
would  be  foolhardy  to  wander  about  these 


58  The  Lonely  House 

unfamiliar  rooms  merely  to  expose  myself  to 
an  attack.  The  murderer  might  deal  a  blow 
from  behind  which  would  make  me  and  my 
revolver  useless. 

It  suddenly  occurred  to  me  that  old  Pollenz 
did  not  live  alone  in  the  house ;  that  he  had  a 
daughter.  Where  was  she?  And  where  was 
the  old  servant  of  whom  Mizka  had  told  me  f 
They  had  not  heard  my  knocking,  and  yet  it 
had  been  loud  enough  to  resound  through  the 
entire  building.  Had  they,  in  their  endeavour 
to  escape  from  the  murderer,  concealed  them- 
selves? Or — oh,  horrible  thought ! — had  they 
also  fallen  victims  to  the  monster?  On  this 
point  I  must  have  certainty.  If  the  assassin 
were  still  in  the  house,  I  could  not  leave  the 
two  women  unprotected.  My  cowardly  fear 
must  be  overcome ;  I  must  pursue  the  wretch. 
Humanity  made  my  duty  clear.  With  my  re- 
volver held  ready  and  with  a  beating  heart,  I 
turned  back  to  the  bolted  door,  which  I  opened 
easily.  I  entered  a  spacious,  dreary  room.  A 
bed  against  the  wall,  a  table,  a  couple  of 
wooden  chairs,  and  two  large  closed  ward- 
robes formed  its  entire  furniture.  Evidently 
it  was  the  old  man's  sleeping  room — a  sordid 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      59 

apartment.  Here  I  found  nobody,  and  I  con- 
tinued my  search.  A  second  door  in  the  room 
was  unlocked.  Through  it  I  again  entered  the 
hall.  Beneath  the  staircase  was  a  door  which 
evidently  led  to  the  cellar ;  it  was  closed  by  a 
massive  bolt.  Two  other  doors  led  from  the 
hall  to  rooms  on  the  left.  I  went  to  the  first 
of  these — the  one  at  which  I  had  knocked  so 
loudly — opened  it,  and  entered  a  large  apart- 
ment much  better  furnished  than  the  rooms 
which  I  had  hitherto  explored.  It  gave  an 
impression  of  more  comfort,  and  I  was  struck 
by  its  great  cleanliness.  By  the  window  there 
was  a  work-table,  upon  which  lay  some  sew- 
ing. A  couple  of  flowers  blooming  in  earthen 
pots  stood  on  the  window  sill.  A  bed  with 
snowy  curtains  stood  against  the  wall  oppo- 
site the  window. 

Undoubtedly  this  was  the  sitting-room  and 
bedchamber  of  the  fair  Anna,  the  daughter  of 
the  murdered  man.  Without  delay  I  con- 
tinued my  search.  A  door  opposite  the  bed 
was  unlocked.  Through  it  I  entered  the 
kitchen.  Here  also  I  found  no  one,  and  I 
returned  to  the  hall. 

The  four  rooms  of  the  ground  floor  had  now 


60  The  Lonely  House 

been  searched  without  result.  With  a  calmer 
mind  I  mounted  the  steep  staircase  to  the  sec- 
ond story.  Here  I  found  rooms  similar  to 
those  below.  They  were  all  unlocked  and 
appeared  to  be  used  partly  for  old  rubbish. 
In  one  of  them  there  was  a  bed,  probably  that 
of  the  old  servant. 

I  had  found  nothing.  It  seemed  useless  to 
ascend  to  the  garret,  so  I  went  down  to  the 
room  in  which  the  murdered  man  lay,  to  con- 
sider what  steps  I  should  take  next. 

My  fear  lest  the  daughter  and  the  maid  had 
been  the  murderer's  victims  had  proved 
groundless.  Neither  of  them  was  in  the 
house.  The  monster  had  probably  profited  by 
their  absence  to  kill  and  rob  the  old  man, 
whom  he  knew  to  be  alone.  Any  longer  stay 
in  this  terrible  abode  seemed  useless.  Of 
course  I  must  inform  the  proper  authorities 
of  the  murder,  and  it  was  my  plain  duty  to  do 
this  as  soon  as  possible.  I  ought  not  to  linger 
longer  in  the  Lonely  House.  Everything 
must  be  left  lying  as  it  was  to  await  the  legal 
investigation.  I  could  do  no  good  to  the  dead 
man  by  remaining.  I  ought  to  proceed  to 
Luttach  as  quickly  as  my  feet  could  carry  me 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      61 

to  inform  the  District  Judge  of  my  terrible 
discovery.  On,  then,  to  Luttach  and  the  Dis- 
trict Judge !  Suddenly,  by  a  strange  chain  of 
ideas,  the  memory  awoke  in  me  of  Franz 
Schorn  as  he  was  coming  from  the  Lonely 
House,  with  eyes  gloomily  downcast,  in  the 
forest  path;  of  how  he  started  when  he  saw 
me  before  he  fled  away  through  the  under- 
growth. Franz  Schorn  came  from  the  house 
of  his  mortal  enemy.  I  shuddered.  Had  I 
met  the  murderer  fresh  from  the  cruel  deed? 
Had  not  the  old  man  who  lay  there  in  his 
blood  always  feared  him?  Had  not  Mizka 
yesterday  evening  told  me  that  Franz  was  a 
rough,  morose  fellow,  who  might  be  readily 
suspected  of  taking  the  life  of  his  mortal 
enemy  t 

This  was  a  dreadful  suspicion,  but  not  with- 
out foundation;  and,  at  all  events,  it  seemed 
to  be  my  duty  to  inform  the  Judge  as  quickly 
as  possible  of  my  meeting  with  Franz  Schorn. 
I  hastily  left  the  scene  of  the  crime,  not  cast- 
ing another  glance  behind  me.  I  breathed 
more  freely  when  I  emerged  from  the  gloomy 
hall  into  the  brilliant  sunshine.  No  longer 
under  the  spell  of  the  ghastly  spectacle,  I 


62  The  Lonely  House 

could  consider  more  calmly  what  was  to  be 
done.  My  first  determination,  however,  re- 
mained unaltered.  It  was  my  plain  duty  to 
hasten  to  Luttach  by  the  nearest  way  and 
there  report  to  the  District  Judge.  The  near- 
est way,  as  the  Captain  had  told  me  in  the 
morning,  was  by  the  rocks.  I  could  not  miss 
it ;  I  saw  it  clearly  before  me.  A  broad,  well- 
worn  path  went  directly  from  the  Lonely 
House  probably  to  the  outlying  cottages  of 
the  village  of  Oberberg.  Another,  narrow 
and  overgrown,  led  in  the  direction  of  Lut- 
tach, and,  at  first,  in  a  gentle  incline  down  the 
mountain.  This  must  be  the  footpath,  then, 
which  further  on  became  the  narrow  way,  over 
the  rocks  leading  directly  to  the  inn,  which 
the  Captain  had  described  to  me  as  perilous. 
Ought  I  to  expose  myself  to  the  danger  of  a 
fall  f  The  descent  was  more  difficult  than  the 
ascent.  The  rocky  way  was  at  least  the 
nearer  by  fifteen  minutes.  I  had  certainly 
climbed  up  and  down  more  dangerous  places 
among  rocks  in  order  to  procure  a  rare  cater- 
pillar. I  was  now  upon  a  far  more  important 
errand,  and  ought  to  reach  Luttach  quickly. 
It  is  foolish  to  expose  oneself  to  unnecessary 


The  Professor's  First  Excursion      63 

danger,  but  the  man  who  shuns  it  when  some- 
thing important  is  at  stake  is  a  miserable 
coward.  I  delayed  no  longer.  One  glance 
over  my  shoulder  I  cast.  The  door  of  the 
Lonely  House  was  wide  open.  Any  passer-by 
might  enter.  Surely  it  was  wrong  to  leave  it 
open  for  more  than  an  hour  without  any 
guard.  Could  I  lock  it?  The  key  might  still 
be  in  the  lock.  I  approached  it  once  more,  I 
confess  with  great  reluctance.  The  silence  as 
of  the  grave  which  reigned  within  filled  me 
with  horror,  but  I  overcame  this  weakness. 
My  expectation  was  confirmed;  the  large 
house  key  was  still  there.  I  locked  the  door, 
and  taking  the  key  could  now  pursue  my  way, 
sure  that  for  the  next  hour  no  passer-by  could 
enter.  I  hurried  down  the  narrow  way  lead- 
ing to  the  rocky  abyss;  it  was  a  charming 
path.  The  view  of  the  valley  was  enchant- 
ing ;  I  had  no  eyes  for  it ;  I  saw  nothing  of  the 
wealth  of  rare  mountain  plants  blooming  on 
either  side,  nothing  of  the  gorgeous  peonies 
which  now  and  then  projected  their  red  blos- 
soms almost  from  the  very  rock.  My  thoughts 
still  clung  to  the  Lonely  House  and  the 
gloomy  room  where  lay  the  dead  man.  I  en- 


64  The  Lonely  House 

countered  not  a  single  human  being  as  I  hur- 
ried along.  At  length  the  little  town  lay 
directly  below  me.  I  must  descend  over  the 
dangerous  rocks.  I  looked  about  me  search- 
ingly;  it  was  not  easy  to  find  the  narrow, 
untrodden  footway,  but  it  soon  became  plain 
to  my  practised  eye.  "Without  hesitation  I 
strode  down  from  stone  to  stone,  partly  leap- 
ing, knowing  that  a  false  step  would  cost  me 
my  life;  but  my  training  among  the  moun- 
tains made  my  footing  sure,  and  after  a  few 
minutes  I  stood  at  the  garden  gate  of  the  inn. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  PROFESSOR'S  RETURN. 

' '  DINNER  has  been  waiting  for  you  ever  so 
long,  Herr  Professor,"  called  Frau  Franzka 
to  me  as  I  entered  the  kitchen,  but  hardly  had 
I  approached  her  before  she  clasped  her 
hands  above  her  head  with  "Holy  Virgin, 
how  you  look !  How  pale !  How  distressed, 
and  how  dripping  with  perspiration!  Why, 
large  drops  are  falling  from  your  hair;  no 
one  can  climb  about  the  mountains  in  the 
hottest  part  of  the  day.  The  District 
judge " 

"Is  the  District  Judge  at  home?"  I  broke 
in. 

"Yes;  he  came  home  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  ago.  I  did  not  see  him,  but  I  heard  him 
going  upstairs.  He  is  in  his  room  and  is 
probably  dressing.  The  Herr  Professor 
ought  also  to  go  to  his  room  and  dress.  You 
will  take  cold  in  your  damp  clothes." 

I  scarcely  heard  the  last  words.  I  hurried 
up  the  three  flights  of  stairs  and  in  the  pas- 

5  [65] 


66  The  Lonely  House 

sage  looked  about  me  for  the  door  marked 
No.  12 — the  District  Judge's  sitting  room.  I 
knocked  at  the  door;  no  answer.  I  knocked 
more  loudly ;  there  came  from  within,  as  from 
an  adjoining  room,  "Who's  there?" 

"Professor  Dollnitz.  I  must  see  you  with 
regard  to  a  matter  of  great  importance,  Herr 
Foligno." 

1 '  I  pray  you  just  wait  for  a  few  minutes.  I 
am  dressing,  but  I'll  be  ready  immediately." 

I  had  to  wait.  Whilst  I  stood  motionless 
before  the  door  I  suddenly  became  conscious 
of  the  intolerable  thirst  which,  more  than  half 
an  hour  before,  had  driven  me  to  the  Lonely 
House.  During  my  great  excitement  I  had 
not  been  conscious  of  any  physical  need,  but 
now  in  the  first  moments  of  quiet  it  attacked 
me  with  double  violence.  I  was  perfectly  ex- 
hausted— almost  fainting.  Fortunately  on 
the  table  in  the  passage  there  stood  a  carafe 
half  filled  with  water.  It  must  have  been 
there  for  hours ;  the  water  was  lukewarm,  but 
I  drank  it  eagerly  and  it  gave  me  the  refresh- 
ment of  which  I  stood  in  need.  I  was  as  one 
new  born. 

I  had  to  wait  at  least  five  minutes.     The 


The  Professor's  Return  67 

time  seemed  very  long  to  me.  At  last  the 
door  opened  and  the  District  Judge  appeared 
in  a  new  and  very  elegant  summer  suit.  His 
thin,  sallow  face  had  not  attracted  me  on  the 
previous  evening,  and  now  as  he  received  me 
with  a  forced  friendly  smile  I  liked  it  still 
less. 

1 '  Forgive  me  for  keeping  you  so  long,  Herr 
Professor,"  he  said,  "but  I  could  not  open 
the  door  before ;  I  was,  to  speak  frankly,  en- 
tirely undressed  when  you  knocked.  I  was 
obliged  to  change  my  clothes  because,  in  your 
interest,  I  have  had  quite  a  fatiguing  walk  on 
the  mountain.  I  am  a  little  of  a  botanist — 
only  a  layman — but  I  am  interested  in  botany, 
and  I  was  desirous  to  surprise  the  learned 
Herr  Professor  with  some  rare  plants  whose 
habitat  I  knew.  It  cost  me  an  effort  to  obtain 
them,  and  even  a  little  danger;  I  had  a  fall 
which  gave  me  a  slight  wound  in  my  hand,  but 
it  is  very  insignificant,  scarcely  worth  men- 
tioning, since  I  have  procured  what  I  desired. 
Here  they  are. ' '  With  his  left  hand  (his  right 
was  wrapped  in  a  white  handkerchief)  he 
took  some  orchids  from  the  table  before  the 
sofa  and  handed  them  to  me.  They  were  of  a 


68  The  Lonely  House 

beautiful  and  rare  species,  and  at  any  other 
time  would  have  given  rne  the  keenest  delight, 
but  at  this  moment  I  scarcely  looked  at  them. 

"I  must  reserve  my  thanks  for  a  time,"  I 
said  gravely,  "the  terrible  intelligence  which 
I  bring  to  you,  Herr  Foligno,  as  the  foremost 
official  in  the  town,  will  admit  of  no  delay.  I 
come  directly  from  the  Lonely  House — the 
scene  of  a  horrible  murder  and  robbery." 

The  District  Judge  recoiled  as  from  a  sud- 
den blow.  Pallor  as  of  death  overspread  his 
sallow  face.  His  mouth  twitched;  his  eyes 
became  glazed  and  fixed  on  me  with  a  look 
wherein  gleamed  downright  fear  and  absolute 
dismay. 

"You  came  from  the  Lonely  House — a 
murder  and  robbery !  Incredible ! "  he  stam- 
mered. Terror  so  mastered  him  that  he  could 
scarcely  utter  these  few  words. 

"What  I  tell  you  is  only  too  true,"  I  re- 
plied, and  then  in  the  fewest  words  I  related 
what  I  had  seen  and  how  I  had  closed  the 
open  door  and  hurried  to  Luttach  in  order  to 
make  him,  as  the  chief  authority  of  the  place, 
acquainted  with  the  fearful  crime. 


The  Professor's  Return  69 

During  my  short  narrative  he  was  strug- 
gling to  regain  his  composure  and  succeeded. 
He  listened  with  his  gaze  fixed  gloomily  upon 
the  floor.  When  I  finished,  he  cast  upon  me  a 
searching,  piercing  glance,  and  his  voice 
trembled  as  he  said,  *  *  Did  you  find  no  trace  of 
the  murderer?  Did  you  see  no  one  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Lonely  House1?" 

On  my  way  down  the  mountain  it  had  been 
clear  to  me  that  it  was  my  duty  to  report  my 
meeting  with  Franz  Schorn,  but  when  the 
District  Judge  put  this  question  to  me,  I  sud- 
denly felt  a  decided  reluctance  to  inform  him 
of  it.  This  man  was  Schorn 's  mortal  enemy. 
Ought  I  to  make  him  a  sharer  of  my  suspicion, 
which  had  been  aroused  by  nothing  but  a 
chance  encounter1? 

Still  more  searching  and  still  more  pene- 
trating was  the  glance  the  District  Judge  be- 
stowed upon  me  as  I  hesitated  to  reply. 

' '  Did  you  see  no  one  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  house,  or  upon  the  path  towards  it!" 
he  asked  once  more. 

As  Judge  he  had  a  right  to  put  the  question 
and  I  ought  to  tell  him  the  truth.  As  I  re- 


70  The  Lonely  House 

fleeted  thus,  I  overcame  my  reluctance  and 
replied. 

"I  did  encounter  a  man  not  far  from  the 
Lonely  House  in  the  forest,  but  I  cannot  think 
myself  justified  in  suspecting  him  of  evil. ' '  I 
then  described  accurately  my  meeting  with 
Franz  Schorn. 

He  listened  in  silence,  his  eyes  still  fixed  on 
the  floor.  When  I  finished,  he  said  with  emo- 
tion, extending  his  left  hand  to  me :  "I  thank 
you,  Herr  Professor ;  your  report  may  be  of 
the  first  importance  for  the  discovery  of  the 
murderer,  but  it  may  also  subject  an  innocent 
man  to  a  horrible  suspicion.  As  long  as  there 
is  no  evidence  against  a  man  except  that  he 
was  seen  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  scene 
of  a  murder,  nothing  would  justify  his  being 
suspected  of  what,  even  as  a  mere  suspicion, 
might  darken  his  whole  future  life.  There- 
fore, let  me  request  you  to  allow  me  to  con- 
sider your  account  of  your  meeting  with  Herr 
Franz  Schorn  as  a  matter  personal  to  myself 
and  confidential,  not  official.  I  shall  then  not 
be  forced  to  include  it  in  a  short  account 
which  I  must  write  out  of  your  information." 

"You  surprise  me,  Herr  Foligno." 


The  Professor's  Return  71 

"I  suppose  so,  and  I  owe  you  an  explana- 
tion of  my  request.  Herr  Franz  Schorn  is  my 
bitter  enemy  and  I  have  never  concealed  my 
dislike  of  him.  You  were  a  witness  yester- 
day evening  of  my  quarrel  with  Captain 
Pollenz  and  my  clerk.  Precisely  on  this 
account  I  do  not  wish  to  include  in  my  official 
paper  a  suspicion  which  I  myself  hold  to  be 
entirely  groundless.  I  promise  you  that  I 
will  neglect  nothing  that  will  lead  to  the  dis- 
covery of  the  murderer,  that  I  will  investigate 
every  step  which  Herr  Schorn  has  taken 
to-day,  and  will  have  him  watched  by  a  thor- 
oughly competent  detective.  If  he  is  guilty,  I 
shall  discover  his  guilt;  but  I  do  not  believe 
he  is  so,  and  because  I  am  his  foe  I  will  not 
attach  any  suspicion  to  him  which,  while  the 
true  murderer  remains  undiscovered,  might 
ruin  his  life,  merely  because  at  the  time  of  the 
murder  he  had  been  seen  near  the  scene  of  the 
crime.  Promise  me,  Herr  Professor,  that  you 
will  tell  no  one  at  present  of  your  meeting 
with  Franz  Schorn.  Should  there  be  other 
and  more  important  grounds  for  suspecting 
him,  I  shall  request  you  .to  give  me  your 
account  officially." 


72  The  Lonely  House 

I  pressed  the  Judge's  hand  cordially,  and 
joyfully  gave  him  the  promise  for  which  he 
asked.  How  unjustly  I  had  judged  this  man ! 
How  I  had  misunderstood  him!  I  was 
ashamed  of  the  reluctance  I  had  felt  to  tell 
him  of  my  meeting  with  Franz  Schorn. 

"I  must  now  make  out  a  short  official 
account  of  your  information,"  the  District 
Judge  continued.  "You  can  hardly  believe 
how  difficult  this  is  for  me.  Your  account  has 
agitated  me  so  profoundly  that  I  can  scarcely 
control  myself.  I  was  very  familiar  with  old 
Pollenz.  He  had  indeed  many  disagreeable 
qualities.  Toward  others  he  was  often  hard 
and  unyielding,  but  I  never  had  anything  to 
complain  of  in  his  behaviour  to  me.  He  has 
often  shown  me  favours.  He  was  indeed 
almost  a  friend,  and  now  I  must  prepare  a 
paper  which  shall  show  him  to  be  the  victim 
of  a  horrible  crime,  which  I  must  take  the  first 
steps  to  investigate.  It  must  be  done.  It  is 
my  duty.  In  spite  of  the  pain  which  my  right 
hand  gives  me  in  writing,  I  will  do  it  imme- 
diately." 

He  took  a  sheet  of  paper ;  pens  and  ink  were 
at  hand,  and  seated  himself  on  the  sofa  behind 


The  Professor's  Return  73 

the  large  table  to  write.  His  hand  could  not 
have  been  very  painful,  for  it  did  not  pre- 
vent his  writing  swiftly  and  clearly.  Now 
and  then,  without  interrupting  his  writing,  he 
addressed  some  brief,  leading  question  to 
me,  and  in  scarcely  ten  minutes  the  paper  was 
finished.  He  read  it  aloud  to  me.  It  was 
wonderfully  concise  and  clear,  without  saying 
one  word  too  much  or  too  little,  and  I  signed 
it  without  an  alteration.  After  he  had  added 
his  own  signature,  he  said,  "I  must  now  beg 
you,  Herr  Professor,  to  accompany  me  to  the 
Lonely  House.  I  shall  immediately  summon 
my  assistant,  as  well  as  the  District  Physician 
and  the  captain  of  gendarmes,  to  inspect  the 
premises.  You,  too,  Herr  Professor,  must  be 
present.  You  must  testify  that  nothing  in  the 
house  has  been  altered  in  your  absence.  This 
is  important  for  further  investigation.  Can  I 
count  upon  you?" 

"Most  certainly." 

1 '  Then  pray  hold  yourself  in  readiness.  In 
half  an  hour,  at  the  latest,  I  shall  have  noti- 
fied the  other  gentlemen.  The  time  of  wait- 
ing, if  I  may  advise  you,  should  be  employed 
by  you  in  strengthening  yourself  with  food 


74  The  Lonely  House 

and  drink.  You  may  not  feel  the  need  of 
refreshment  at  present,  but  we  have  some  sad 
hours  before  us." 

How  kind  and  thoughtful !  I  certainly  had 
cause  to  ask  pardon  in  my  heart  of  the 
District  Judge  for  the  prejudice  he  had 
created. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  INVESTIGATION. 

IT  was  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when 
Herr  Foligno  called  for  me  in  the  dining- 
room,  where  I  was  sitting  with  the  Captain. 
It  had  taken  him  almost  an  hour  to  assemble 
those  who  were  to  inspect  the  scene  of  the 
murder  in  the  Lonely  House.  I  had  informed 
the  Captain,  a  near  relative  of  the  murdered 
man,  of  my  terrible  discovery,  and  he  had 
been  deeply  moved.  He  said: 

' '  I  was  never  intimate  with  old  Pollenz,  al- 
though he  was  my  first  cousin.  He  was  a 
hard  usurer  and  a  miser.  He  loved  no  one  in 
the  world  save  his  daughter,  but  that  his  end 
has  been  so  horrible  is  certainly  very  sad. 
Poor  child,  my  dear  little  Anna!  How  will 
she  bear  this  fearful  shock !  I  saw  her  about 
twelve  o'clock  here  in  Luttach  with  her  old 
maid,  Johanna.  She  had  been  paying  a  visit 
to  an  aged  aunt,  and  she  is  probably  still 
there.  I  must  see  if  it  be  so.  I  do  not  willingly 
visit  the  malicious  old  gossip,  but  if  Anna 

[75] 


76  The  Lonely  House 

is  still  with  her,  I  must  go  to  prepare  the 
poor  child  for  the  sad  news  that  awaits  her." 

He  sent  Mizka  to  old  Fran  Laucic's,  and  in 
a  few  minntes  she  returned  to  say  that  Frau- 
lein  Anna  had  been  with  the  widow,  but  that 
she  had  left  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before 
to  make  some  purchases  in  the  village  and 
then  to  return  home. 

Upon  hearing  this,  the  Captain  determined 
to  accompany  the  officials  to  the  Lonely 
House,  for  which  he  received  permission  from 
the  District  Judge. 

Soon  after  four  o'clock  we  began  our  walk ; 
not  by  the  steep  rocky  path,  which  was  rather 
too  difficult  for  the  old  District  Physician,  and 
might  prove  dangerous,  but  in  accordance 
with  the  Judge's  directions,  by  the  longer  way 
past  the  village  of  Oberberg. 

"We  could  make  but  slow  progress,  for  the 
heat  was  still  oppressive.  The  old  physician 
gasped  and  panted  as  we  ascended  the  moun- 
tain. The  Judge  with  kindly  consideration, 
begged  him  to  walk  slowly,  although  he  him- 
self was  trembling  with  impatience  to  reach 
our  goal. 

We  met  various  people  on  the  way.    They 


The  Investigation  77 

greeted  us  politely  and  looked  after  us  with 
surprise.  Intelligence  of  the  murder  had  not 
yet  reached  the  village  of  Oberberg,  and 
people  could  not  imagine  what  so  many  per- 
sons, accompanied  by  the  captain  of  gen- 
darmes, could  have  to  do  in  the  little  village. 
I  walked  first  with  the  Captain.  The  Judge 
and  his  clerk  followed,  and,  naturally,  very 
little  was  said  as  we  pursued  our  way;  all 
were  oppressed  by  a  sense  of  what  lay  before 
them. 

We  had  turned  into  the  path  by  the  crucifix 
leading  on  the  left  to  the  Lonely  House,  and 
were  but  a  short  distance  from  the  spot  to 
which  we  were  tending,  when  the  Captain 
suddenly  stood  still  and  said  in  a  faltering 
voice,  " There  comes  my  poor  little  Anna." 

She  came  towards  us  hurriedly  from  the 
Lonely  House.  She  was  called  pretty  Anna 
in  the  country  round,  and  indeed  she  deserved 
the  name.  I  have  scarcely  ever  in  my  long 
life  seen  so  beautiful  a  girl.  Even  her  ex- 
pression of  intense  anxiety  could  not  distort 
her  charming  face.  When  she  recognized  the 
Captain  she  flew  towards  him. 

'  *  Oh,  uncle,  my  dear  kind  uncle,  thank  God 


78  The  Lonely  House 

you  are  here!"  she  cried.  "I  am  dying  with 
anxiety;  my  father  will  not  open  the  door. 
For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  Johanna  and  I  have 
been  knocking  in  vain.  Something  must  have 
happened  to  him,  or  he  would  hear  us  and 
open  the  door  for  us." 

The  Captain  put  his  arm  round  the  lovely 
child  and  pressed  a  kiss  upon  her  white  fore- 
head. "My  poor  little  girl!"  he  murmured. 
His  voice  failed  him ;  he  could  say  no  more ; 
his  eyes  filled  with  tears ;  he  tried  to  control 
himself,  but  the  compassion  which  he  felt  for 
the  girl  in  his  arms  was  too  intense ;  it  mas- 
tered him ;  he  could  hardly  utter  a  word. 

"Good  heavens!  What  has  happened?" 
cried  Anna,  extricating  herself  from  the  Cap- 
tain's embrace  and  gazing  at  him,  her  large 
black  eyes  dilated  with  horror.  "You  call  me 
your  poor  girl !  There  are  tears  in  your  eyes. 
For  God's  sake  tell  me  what  it  means!  Has 
anything  happened  to  my  father!  Oh,  answer 
me,  uncle!  I  would  rather  hear  the  worst 
than  suffer  such  suspense. ' ' 

The  Judge  answered  instead  of  the  Captain, 
who  could  not  control  his  voice.  "Compose 
yourself,  Fraulein  Anna,"  he  said  with  grave 


The  Investigation  79 

kindliness,  "you  need  all  your  courage,  all 
your  self-control  to  endure  the  misfortune 
which  God  has  sent  to  you.  Unfortunately 
your  anxiety  is  justified.  Something  has  in- 
deed happened  to  your  father,  my  lifelong 
friend." 

"He  is  dead !"  the  girl  cried,  with  what  was 
almost  a  shriek;  overcome  with  grief,  she 
tottered  and  would  have  fallen  to  the  ground 
if  the  Captain  had  not  thrown  his  arms  about 
her.  The  Judge  took  her  hand  with  deep  sym- 
pathy, but  she  snatched  it  away  and  pushed 
him  from  her  with  a  gesture  expressive  of  the 
most  profound  aversion. 

' '  Do  not  touch  me ;  I  hate,  I  despise  you ! ' ' 
she  cried,  as  she  cast  herself  again  into  the 
Captain 's  arms.  * l  Uncle,  my  dear  kind  uncle, 
you  tell  me  what  has  happened.  I  can  hear 
the  worst  from  you,  but  not  from  that  man." 
The  Judge,  thus  rudely  repulsed,  was 
deeply  offended,  but  was  too  magnanimous — 
his  pity  for  the  unfortunate  girl  was  too  pro- 
found to  admit  of  his  expressing  his  resent- 
ment by  a  harsh  word. 

"You  do  me  bitter  wrong,  Fraulein  Anna," 
he  said  gently.  ' '  I  sympathize  sincerely  with 


80  The  Lonely  House 

your  pain,  but  I  will  not  thrust  my  pity  upon 
you.  I  pray  you,  Captain,  to  inform  her  as 
mercifully  as  possible  of  what  has  hap- 
pened." 

It  was  a  hard  task  for  the  Captain,  but  it 
was  his  duty  to  fulfil  it.  He  motioned  to  the 
Judge  and  to  myself  to  withdraw  for  a  few 
steps,  and  then  took  Anna's  arm  in  his  and, 
walking  on  before  us,  spoke  to  her  in  the 
most  sympathetic  and  loving  way.  He  told 
me  afterwards  that  in  all  his  life  he  had  never 
had  so  hard  a  duty  to  perform.  He  searched 
in  vain  for  kindly  words  to  soften  the  horror ; 
he  feared  that  the  delicate  girl  could  hardly 
endure  the  frightful  truth  which  he  was 
forced  to  tell  her;  but  to  his  great  surprise 
Anna  showed  a  remarkable  degree  of  com- 
posure. She  had  not  succumbed,  he  said,  to 
pain  and  grief;  she  had  become  ghastly  pale 
and  her  dark  eyes  had  gleamed  with  a  strange 
flickering  fire,  as,  almost  in  a  whisper,  not  to 
him,  but  to  herself,  she  had  murmured, 
"Foully  murdered  and  robbed;  murdered  for 
the  sake  of  his  wretched  money.  He  sacri- 
ficed his  soul  and  now  has  given  his  life  for 
money. ' '  She  shed  no  tear ;  her  grief  was  too 


The  Investigation  81 

great,  too  heart-breaking;  but  she  trembled 
violently;  her  little  hand  shook  as  it  rested 
on  her  uncle's  arm,  and  as  he  put  his  arm 
round  her  and  tenderly  drew  her  to  him,  he 
could  feel  the  violent  beating  of  her  heart. 
He  told  her  everything  that  he  had  heard 
from  me.  When  he  had  finished,  she  looked 
at  him  with  flaming  eyes. 

"The  vile  murderer  will  be  discovered," 
she  said  in  a  hoarse  voice;  "I  trust  in  God's 
justice." 

Her  composure  was  really  remarkable,  and 
gave  great  cause  for  anxiety.  I  had  lingered 
behind  with  the  Judge  and  his  clerk.  We 
slowly  followed  the  Captain  and  Anna  about 
twenty  steps  in  the  rear. 

"I  certainly  am  most  unfortunately  situ- 
ated," said  the  Judge,  turning  to  me  confi- 
dentially. "You  heard  the  harsh  words  which 
the  poor  girl,  half  crazed  with  pain  and 
horror,  spoke  to  me.  I  know  what  those 
words  mean.  I  am  well  aware  that  Fraulein 
Anna  is  prejudiced  against  me.  She  thinks 
that  the  hostility  which  her  father  showed 
to  Herr  Franz  Schorn  was  partly  my  fault. 
That  she  does  so  is  well  known  in  Luttach, 

6 


82  The  Lonely  House 

and  I  commit  no  indiscretion  in  telling  you 
that  there  is  an  attachment  between  Fraulein 
Anna  and  Herr  Schorn,  of  which  old  Pollenz 
disapproved.  Fraulein  Anna  knows  that 
Herr  Schorn  is  my  bitter  enemy.  She  has 
sided  with  him  against  me,  but  that  her 
prejudice  is  as  intense  as  the  words  she  has 
just  spoken  testify,  I  confess  surprises  me. 
Never  before  have  I  seen  in  her  the  least  sign 
of  dislike.  Imagine  my  position.  My  official 
duty  compels  me  to  play  the  part  of  a  disin- 
terested investigator.  I  cannot  spare  her 
pain,  but  I  shall  have  to  subject  her,  with 
her  old  maid,  to  an  examination.  I  must  in- 
quire how  it  happened  that  the  Lonely  House 
was  left  unlocked,  perhaps  by  herself;  every 
child  in  Luttach  knows  that  old  Pollenz 
always  locked  the  front  door  securely.  I 
would  give  much,  very  much,  to  spare  the 
young  lady  this  examination. ' ' 

' '  If  you  would  depute  me  to  make  it,  Judge, 
such  an  act  on  your  part  would  be  entirely 
justified  by  the  peculiar  relations  in  which 
you  stand  to  Fraulein  Anna  Pollenz."  The 
Clerk  uttered  these  words  very  quietly  and  in 
a  businesslike  tone,  but  the  District  Judge 


The  Investigation  83 

was  not  pleased.  He  cast  a  sinister  glance  at 
the  Clerk  and  asked,  "What  do  you  mean  by 
peculiar  relations,  sir?" 

"  Nothing  but  what  you  yourself  indicated, 
and  what,  to  use  your  own  words,  every  child 
in  Luttach  is  familiar  with,"  was  the  quiet 
reply. 

"You  allude  to  the  foolish  gossip  which 
makes  me  the  young  girl's  rejected  suitor? 
There  is  not  one  word  of  truth  in  it. ' ' 

"Then  old  Pollenz  lied,  for  he  stated  this, 
not  as  a  secret,  but  quite  openly,  in  Luttach. 
At  all  events,  such  a  report  does  exist,  and  it 
will  be  confirmed  unless  you  make  use  of 
your  right  to  depute  to  me  the  examination 
of  the  young  lady. ' ' 

"No,  that  I  will  not  do.  My  standard  of 
official  duty  is  too  exalted  to  permit  my  neg- 
lecting it  out  of  regard  for  my  own  feelings. 
I  might  perhaps  take  your  advice  if  I  were 
forced  to  play  the  part  of  examiner  during 
the  entire  legal  process,  which  must  ensue 
upon  this  murder,  but,  fortunately,  that  is 
not  so;  only  the  preliminaries  are  our  duty. 
Capital  crimes,"  the  Judge  said  turning  to 
me,  "do  not  come  within  the  domain  of  the 


84  The  Lonely  House 

District  Judge.  They  are  the  business  of  the 
tribunal  of  the  country.  Subsequent  inves- 
tigations will  take  place  in  Laibach.  The 
preliminary  examination  alone  is  my  task, 
which,  whatever  it  may  cost  me,  I  will  fulfil. ' ' 

The  Clerk  made  no  reply ;  he  simply  bowed 
in  sign  that  he  had  no  further  remarks  to 
offer.  We  now  reached  the  goal  of  our  wan- 
derings. The  Lonely  House  stood  before  us. 
The  Captain  and  Anna  were  standing  near  the 
locked  door,  and  upon  a  wooden  bench  beside 
it  sat  an  old  woman,  old  Johanna,  '  *  The  only 
servant  of  the  house,"  the  Judge  whispered 
to  me.  The  Captain  had  just  told  her  of  the 
murder  of  her  master.  Paralyzed  with  hor- 
ror, incapable  of  speech,  she  was  gazing  up 
at  him.  When  she  tried  to  rise,  she  sank  back 
helplessly.  The  Judge  opened  the  front  door 
with  the  key  which  I  had  given  him. 

Scarcely  had  he  done  so  when  Anna  re- 
leased herself  from  the  Captain's  arm  and 
would  have  been  the  first  to  rush  into  the 
house,  had  not  the  Judge  barred  her  way. 

"Let  me  go,"  cried  Anna.  "I  must  go  to 
my  poor  father.  You  dare  not  hold  me 
back." 


The  Investigation  85 

She  would  have  pressed  past  him,  but  he 
prevented  her  from  doing  so,  and  with  quiet 
resolve,  in  a  perfectly  judicial  manner,  said, 
"You  must  not  see  your  father  yet,  Fraulein 
Anna.  My  official  duty  compels  me  to  ex- 
clude you  from  the  room  in  which  the  crime 
has  been  committed  until  it  has  been  thor- 
oughly searched.  The  traces  which  the  mur- 
derer has  perhaps  left  behind  must  not  be 
interfered  with.  You  must  either  stay  here 
outside,  or,  if  you  wish,  wait  in  your  own 
room  until  it  is  permitted  you  to  see  your 
father.  Captain  Pollenz,  I  pray  you  to  re- 
main with  your  relative  and  to  prevent  Frau- 
lein Anna  from  making  an  attempt  to  disturb 
the  investigation  by  going  into  the  murdered 
man's  room.  I  cannot  permit  it." 

Anna  retired.  As  the  Judge  forbade  our 
entrance  into  the  house,  her  eyes  seemed  to 
flash  with  anger,  but  she  controlled  herself, 
only  bestowing  upon  Herr  Foligno  a  glance 
of  dislike  and  antipathy. 

"I  obey,"  she  said,  recovering  her  com- 
posure wonderfully.  ' '  I  will  wait  in  my  room 
with  Johanna  and  my  uncle.  You  shall  have 
nothing  to  reproach  me  with.  I  pray  you, 


86  The  Lonely  House 

sir,"  she  said,  turning  to  the  Clerk;  "I  en- 
treat you  to  search,  investigate.  The  blood 
of  my  poor  father  cries  to  heaven.  I  must 
doubt  its  justice  should  you  not  succeed  in 
discovering  the  ruthless  murderer." 

"Best  assured,  Fraulein  Anna,  that  I  shall 
leave  nothing  undone — 

"I  did  not  address  you,"  Anna  interrupted 
the  Judge;  "I  entreat  you,  the  assistant,  to 
fulfil  your  duty;  search  for  the  murderer, 
whoever  he  may  be,  deliver  him  to  the  ven- 
geance of  the  law.  I  trust  you.  You  will  not 
be  influenced  by  fear  or  considerations  of  any 
kind.  Do  not  answer  me ;  I  trust  you ;  I  know 
you  will  do  everything  to  discover  the  crimi- 
nal, even  though  you  do  not  promise  me. 
Come  uncle,  come  Johanna,  we  will  wait  in  my 
room." 

While  Anna  was  speaking,  Herr  Foligno's 
expression  was,  strangely  enough,  that  of 
timidity  and  embarrassment ;  his  lips  moved ; 
he  seemed  to  wish  to  reply  but  could  not.  He 
retreated  silently,  as  Anna,  without  looking  in 
his  direction,  passed  him.  She  entered  the 
room  at  the  left  of  the  hall,  her  own  apart- 
ment, and  the  Captain  and  the  old  maid,  still 


The  Investigation  87 

half  paralyzed  with  terror,  followed  her 
silently. 

The  Clerk  also  made  no  reply  to  Anna's 
strange  words ;  he  had  been  much  astonished 
by  them,  as  were  all  who  heard  them.  With 
a  keen  searching  look  he  regarded  the  Judge. 
Not  until  the  door  had  closed  behind  Anna 
and  the  Captain  did  he  say,  whispering  so 
softly  that  only  I  and  the  Judge  could  hear, 
"If  you  do  not  feel  sufficiently  well,  Herr 
Foligno,  to  undertake  the  examination  and 
will  delegate  me  to  conduct  it,  I  am  quite 
ready  to  do  so. ' ' 

''No,  no,"  the  Judge  replied  in  as  low  a 
tone.  Aloud  he  said,  "Follow  me,  gentle- 
men. We  must  begin  our  melancholy  task. ' ' 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  INVESTIGATION  CONTINUED. 

AMONG  all  the  tragic  and  even  terrible 
recollections  which  live  in  my  memory,  and  of 
which  my  life  has  perhaps  had  more  than  its 
share,  the  most  terrible  is  that  of  the  first 
few  days  of  my  stay  in  Luttach.  Even  now 
they  sometimes  disturb  my  sleep  at  night.  In 
dreams,  I  am  once  more  in  the  spacious, 
dreary  room  of  the  Lonely  House,  with  the 
stiffened  corpse  of  the  murdered  man  before 
me  on  the  floor.  The  sunlight  through  the 
window  falls  upon  his  pale  face  with  its  dis- 
torted features.  I  see  the  terrible  wound, 
and  the  hard,  rasping  voice  of  the  District 
Physician  strikes  upon  my  ear  as  with  pro- 
fessional calmness  he  examines  the  wound 
and  with  all  the  indifference  with  which  he 
would  discuss  the  commonest  affair  of  busi- 
ness, explains  that  any  suspicion  of  suicide  is 
out  of  the  question,  coldly  pointing  out  to 
us  bystanders,  grouped  about  the  body,  our 
faces  pale  and  awed,  the  numerous  wounds  of 

[88] 


The  Investigation  Continued         89 

which  any  one  would  have  heen  mortal,  and 
endeavouring  with  perfect  calmness  to  prove 
that  the  murderer  had  first  attacked  his 
victim  from  behind,  and  had  finally  cut  the 
throat  to  make  sure  that  the  deed  was  com- 
plete. I  still  hear  in  dreams  the  clear,  in- 
cisive words  showing  that  the  murderer  must 
certainly  have  been  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  murdered  man's  ways,  and  that  in 
order  to  avoid  any  possibility  of  the  old 
man's  divulging  his  name  with  his  dying 
breath,  he  had  inflicted  the  last  gaping 
wound. 

Fearful  as  had  been  the  impression  made 
upon  me  in  the  morning  by  my  discovery,  it 
had  not  so  curdled  my  blood  with  horror  as 
did  this  examination  of  the  body.  The  neces- 
sity for  action,  the  danger  which  possibly 
threatened  me  from  the  murderer  concealed 
in  the  house,  had  strengthened  and  quickened 
me  in  the  morning;  but  now,  when  I  was 
forced  to  stand  by,  an  inactive  spectator  of 
this  terrible  scene,  the  whole  horror  of  the 
affair  for  the  first  time  presented  itself  to 
my  consciousness. 

The  absence  of  all  emotion,  the  inflexible 


90  The  Lonely  House 

indifference  of  the  District  Physician,  who, 
as  I  learned  from  the  Clerk,  had  been  the 
friend  and  physician  of  old  Pollenz,  deepened 
the  impression  which  rendered  me  almost 
incapable  of  connected  thought. 

I  was  a  prey  during  the  entire  investigation 
to  intense  nervous  agitation.  I  saw  and 
heard  everything  that  went  on  around  ine  so 
clearly  that  the  smallest  detail  remains 
stamped  upon  my  memory,  but  I  was  inca- 
pable of  connected  thought,  of  drawing  con- 
clusions from  what  I  heard  and  saw.  This  I 
was  able  to  do  only  later  when  removed  from 
the  spell  thus  thrown  around  me.  The  inves- 
tigation produced  a  most  agitating  effect 
upon  the  Clerk  also,  and  in  especial  upon  the 
Judge,  but  they  could  not  leave,  and  were 
obliged  to  fulfil  their  official  duty.  The  Clerk 
was  very  pale,  but  quiet  and  composed 
throughout;  but  the  Judge  was  obliged  to 
exert  all  his  self-control  to  conquer  his  excite- 
ment, while  the  physician,  still  handling  the 
body,  demonstrated  with  great  clearness, 
almost  as  if  he  had  been  a  witness  of  it,  the 
manner  in  which  the  murder  had  been  com- 
mitted. 


The  Investigation  Continued         91 

But  however  intense  his  emotion,  the  Judge 
proved  himself  equal  to  the  task  his  office 
imposed  upon  him.  When  the  time  came  to 
search  the  room  he  displayed  the  greatest 
care  and  circumspection.  The  bloody  knife 
lying  upon  the  floor  at  some  distance  from 
the  body  was,  of  course,  the  first  object  of  his 
notice. 

"There  lies  the  weapon  with  which  the 
deed  was  committed,"  he  cried.  "For- 
tunately, the  murderer  has  left  it  behind.  It 
may  afford  a  clue  in  his  detection." 

But  this  hope  proved  to  be  unfounded.  The 
Clerk  testified  that  the  knife  was  the  same 
which  old  Pollenz  had  always  carried  as  a 
weapon  of  defense.  Whereupon  the  Judge 
confirmed  what  he  said ;  he  had  seen  the  knife 
in  his  friend's  possession,  and  recognized  it, 
but  doubtless  it  was  the  weapon  with  which 
the  crime  was  committed.  "Most  certainly," 
the  Judge  added,  with  keen  observation,  "the 
murderer  must  have  snatched  it  from  the  old 
man  as  he  tried  to  defend  himself,  and  in  so 
doing  caused  a  struggle ;  the  knife  must  have 
wounded  the  murderer  in  the  hand,  since  its 
handle  is  stained  with  blood.  We  shall  un- 


92  The  Lonely  House 

doubtedly  find  further  traces  of  his  bleeding 
hand  there  in  the  cabinet  which  he  broke  open, 
and  from  which  he  scattered  the  papers  lying 
about." 

The  Judge's  supposition  proved  correct. 
Inside  the  cabinet,  as  well  as  upon  the  open 
drawers,  there  were  distinct  traces  of  bloody 
fingers,  and  they  were  also  found  upon  some 
of  the  papers  strewn  on  the  floor,  which  the 
murderer  had  taken  from  the  cabinet  but 
tossed  aside  as  useless. 

It  was  in  this  cabinet,  as  the  Judge  and  the 
physician  both  testified,  that  old  Pollenz  had 
kept  his  money  and  papers  of  value.  The 
murderer  must  have  been  familiar  with  this 
place  of  deposit,  for  he  had  opened  only  those 
drawers  used  for  the  purpose.  The  others, 
which  contained  receipted  bills  and  worthless 
papers,  had  not  been  opened.  The  closest 
search  failed  to  discover  either  money  or 
papers  of  value,  such  as  promissory  notes  or 
similar  documents.  All  such  had  been  ab- 
stracted. On  the  other  hand,  an  old  gold 
watch,  a  heavy  gold  snuffbox,  both  articles  of 
value,  remained  untouched. 

"The   murderer   is   no   common   thief   or 


The  Investigation  Continued         93 

burglar,"  the  Judge  said  calmly.  "Such  an 
one  would  not  have  despised  valuable  articles 
like  these." 

' '  Certainly  not, ' '  the  physician  added ; ' '  my 
firm  belief  is  that  he  was  an  intimate  ac- 
quaintance of  old  Pollenz.  None  other  would 
have  opened  those  drawers  unless  they  knew 
they  would  reward  a  search." 

"Unfortunately,  this  is  the  only  hint  we 
have  to  put  us  upon  the  trace  of  the  crim- 
inal," the  Judge  said  in  a  tone  of  disappoint- 
ment. "Our  melancholy  investigation  has 
had  no  result  of  value." 

This  was  indeed  so.  The  murderer  had  left 
the  Lonely  House  without  leaving  any  traces 
except  those  of  his  bleeding  hand.  In  spite 
of  the  most  careful  search,  nothing  further 
was  discovered.  The  Judge  set  down  in  his 
deposition  all  that  had  been  done.  It  was  as 
clear  and  well  composed  as  that  which  he  had 
written  previously  in  his  room.  I  confirmed 
his  report  that  I  had  found  the  Lonely  House 
and  in  especial  the  room  in  which  the  crime 
had  been  committed  in  the  same  condition  in 
which  I  had  left  it.  It  now  remained  for  the 
Judge  to  fulfil  the  hardest  part  of  his  task. 


94  The  Lonely  House 

He  was  obliged  to  examine  the  daughter  and 
the  old  servant  of  the  murdered  man.  He 
evidently  feared  to  meet  with  difficulties 
caused  by  the  aversion  to  him  which  the  fair 
Anna  had  so  openly  expressed,  but  it  was 
necessary  to  make  this  examination  in  order 
to  find  some  explanation  of  the  surprising 
fact  that  the  Lonely  House,  usually  so  care- 
fully locked,  should  have  been  left  wide  open 
at  midday. 

The  Judge's  fear,  however,  proved  to  be 
groundless.  He  found  Anna  in  her  room, 
wonderfully  quiet  and  composed.  She  imme- 
diately declared  herself  ready  to  be  examined, 
and  only  asked  that  the  Captain,  the  Clerk  and 
myself  should  be  the  sole  witnesses  present. 
The  Judge  willingly  granted  this  request,  and 
every  difficulty  was  removed.  She  testified 
that  she  had  that  day  had  her  breakfast  as 
usual  with  her  father  at  eleven  o'clock,  and, 
close  upon  twelve,  had  left  the  Lonely  House 
with  Johanna  to  make  some  purchases  in 
Luttach,  and  at  the  same  time  to  visit  her  old 
aunt.  Her  father,  as  usual,  accompanied  her 
to  the  front  door  and  locked  and  bolted  it  be- 
hind her.  It  was  his  custom  when  left  alone 


The  Investigation  Continued         95 

in  the  house  to  bolt  himself  into  his  sitting- 
room.  Whenever  any  one  knocked  at  the 
front  door,  he  always  first  made  sure  of  his 
visitor  by  looking  out  of  the  window,  and, 
when  he  was  alone,  never  allowed  a  stranger 
to  cross  his  threshold.  Even  acquaintances 
in  whom  perchance  he  did  not  repose  entire 
confidence  were  always  dismissed  by  him 
from  the  window.  He  did  not  even  open  the 
door  for  them.  As  to  her  father's  property 
in  papers  of  value  and  money,  Anna  knew 
nothing.  Her  father  had  never  talked  with 
her  about  his  pecuniary  circumstances.  She 
could  not  possibly  tell  of  how  much  he  had 
been  robbed. 

With  perfect  composure  Anna  gave  her 
testimony,  but,  when  in  conclusion  the  Judge 
asked  her  if  she  had  met  any  one  upon  her 
way  to  Luttach,  the  colour  suddenly  mounted 
to  her  cheek  and  as  quickly  left  it,  and  her 
"no"  was  by  no  means  so  clear  and  decided 
as  had  been  her  earlier  report.  She  blushed 
still  more  deeply  when  the  Judge  asked  if  her 
father  had  any  special  mistrust  of  any  of  his 
acquaintances,  and  assured  her  that  what  she 
should  say  would  be  entirely  confidential, 


96  The  Lonely  House 

even  if  there  should  be  nothing  in  her  reply 
to  arouse  suspicion. 

"I  will  not  answer  this  question,"  Anna 
replied,  after  she  had  stood  for  a  moment 
with  downcast  eyes.  "No  one  in  the  world 
has  a  right  to  ask  such  a  question,  and  you 
least  of  all." 

To  this  declaration  she  adhered,  and  the 
Judge  was  obliged  to  finish  his  deposition 
without  learning  anything  further  from  her. 
The  examination  of  old  Johanna  also  pro- 
duced no  further  result. 

Thus  the  examination  ended,  and  the  Judge 
could  no  longer  refuse  to  allow  the  daughter 
to  see  her  father's  body.  Conducted  by  Cap- 
tain Pollenz,  Anna  entered  the  old  man's 
sleeping-room,  where  the  captain  of  gen- 
darmes and  the  physician  had  laid  the  mur- 
dered man  upon  the  bed.  The  Captain  after- 
wards told  me  that  the  composure  shown  by 
the  young  girl  at  the  terrible  sight  had  filled 
him  with  genuine  admiration.  She  kneeled 
beside  the  bed  on  which  the  corpse  had  been 
laid.  She  took  the  cold,  stiff  hand  in  hers 
and  kissed  it,  while  tears  rolled  over  her 
cheeks.  The  Captain  would  have  said  a  few 


The  Investigation  Continued         97 

words  to  comfort  her,  but  she  interrupted 
him. 

"Let  my  grief  have  way,  uncle,"  she  said 
sadly;  "you  do  not  know  what  I  have  lost  in 
him.  He  was  harsh  to  every  one  else,  but  he 
loved  me  with  all  his  heart,  me  only  in  the 
world,  and  I  am  perhaps  the  cause  of  his 
death.  This  it  is  that  fills  me  almost  with 
despair.  The  thought  that  I  may  be  guilty  of 
his  death  is  almost  unendurable." 

"How  can  you  think  such  a  thing,  my 
child?"  the  Captain  asked,  much  startled. 

"I  cannot  explain  it  to  you,  uncle,"  Anna 
continued,  kissing  the  dead  man's  hand  again 
and  again.  "It  is  perhaps  only  a  foolish 
thought,  but  it  arose  in  my  mind  when  I  heard 
how  cruelly  my  father  had  been  murdered, 
and  I  cannot  banish  it.  I  dare  not  share  it 
with  any  one,  not  even  with  you,  my  dear, 
kind  uncle.  I  commit  an  injustice  perhaps  in 
not  being  able  to  banish  it.  I  know  nothing, 
nothing  which  gives  me  the  right  to  entertain 
it.  It  is  only  a  vague,  fearful  foreboding, 
oppressing  my  heart  all  the  more  because  I 
must  bear  it  all  alone  and  can  share  it  with  no 
one  in  the  world. ' ' 

7 


98  The  Lonely  House 

The  girl  refused  all  explanation  of  her 
mysterious  words.  For  a  long  while  she 
silently  knelt  by  the  bed,  holding  the  dead 
man's  hand  in  hers,  but  at  last  she  rose  and 
followed  the  Captain  to  her  room,  in  which 
we — that  is,  the  Clerk,  the  Judge,  the  physi- 
cian, and  myself — were  awaiting  her.  Dur- 
ing Anna's  absence  with  the  Captain  we  had 
been  discussing  the  future  of  the  young  girl. 
It  was  impossible  that  she  should  remain  with 
the  old  servant  and  the  murdered  man  alone 
in  the  Lonely  House.  We  had  therefore  de- 
termined to  take  her  back  with  us  to  Luttach. 
The  physician  had  kindly  offered  to  give  her 
an  asylum  as  a  guest  in  his  house.  His  wife, 
he  told  us,  was  very  fond  of  the  fair  Anna ; 
she  would  rejoice  most  heartily  to  show  any 
loving  service  to  the  unfortunate  child.  Anna 
could  not  possibly  live  with  her  old,  peevish 
Aunt  Laucic,  who  was  even  a  greater  miser 
than  old  Pollenz.  She  would  find  none  of  the 
sympathy  and  love  of  which  she  stood  in  such 
need  with  that  old  dragon. 

The  kindness  and  friendliness  for  the  un- 
fortunate young  girl  which  prompted  the 
words  of  the  physician  reconciled  me  to  him. 


The  Investigation  Continued         99 

His  businesslike  indifference  during  the  in- 
vestigation had  made  me  almost  hate  him,  but 
now  I  acknowledged  to  myself  that  I  had  been 
unjust  and  that  he  was  no  cold  and  heartless 
man,  but,  on  the  contrary,  a  very  kindly, 
benevolent  old  doctor. 

We  had  arranged  everything  as  we  thought 
for  the  best,  but  when  Anna  returned  to  us  we 
found  that  our  wise  arrangements  were  en- 
tirely useless.  She  declared,  with  a  decision 
remarkable  in  so  young  a  girl,  that  she  would 
not  leave  her  father,  but  would  stay  beside 
him. 

In  vain  did  we  all  entreat  her,  the  Judge 
alone  prudently  refraining  from  doing  so. 
We  used  our  most  eloquent  powers  of  per- 
suasion. 

In  vain  did  the  Captain  add  his  voice,  and 
in  vain  did  the  physician  explain  to  her  what 
an  insufficient  protection  old  Johanna  would 
be  in  the  Lonely  House  during  the  next  night. 

"If  Johanna  is  afraid,  she  can  go  with  you 
to  Luttach,"  she  said.  "I  am  not  afraid  to 
remain  alone  with  my  beloved  dead." 

As  she  was  immovable,  we  were  obliged  to 
comply.  We  could  not  force  her  to  go  with 


100  The  Lonely  House 

us  to  Luttach,  but  we  did  not  leave  her  alone 
in  the  Lonely  House,  for  the  Captain  declared 
he  would  not  leave  her;  if  she  stayed,  he 
would  stay  also;  they  could  make  up  a  bed 
quite  comfortable  enough  for  an  old  soldier. 

Anna  was  reluctant  to  accept  this  offer,  but 
the  Captain  refused  to  withdraw  it.  He  said 
he  could  be  quite  as  obstinate  as  Anna  her- 
self, and  thus  he  remained  in  the  Lonely 
House,  while  we  returned  to  Luttach. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TWO  WOUNDED  HANDS. 

BOTH  kitchen  and  dining-room  in  the 
" Golden  Vine"  were  crowded  with  guests — 
a  very  unusual  thing  of  a  week-day.  The 
report  of  the  murder  in  the  Lonely  House 
had  spread  quickly,  not  only  in  the  little 
town,  but  also  in  the  surrounding  villages, 
and,  naturally,  all  were  eager  to  hear  further 
particulars,  and  could  find  no  better  place 
for  gratifying  this  desire  than  in  the  inn,  the 
home  of  the  Judge,  who  was  sure  to  be  there 
in  the  evening. 

In  the  spacious  kitchen,  which  was  the 
gathering  place  of  guests  of  the  lower  classes, 
peasants  and  small  tradesmen,  there  was 
quite  a  crowd.  Some  were  even  obliged  to 
drink  their  wine  standing;  all  the  benches  and 
chairs  were  occupied.  Here  not  a  German 
word  was  to  be  heard ;  the  talk  was  entirely 
in  Slavonic;  even  around  the  hearth  where 
Frau  Franzka  received  her  intimate  friends, 
all  spoke  in  that  tongue. 

[101] 


102  The  Lonely  House 

Nearly  twenty  men,  principally  petty 
tradesmen  from  Luttach,  were  sitting  and 
standing  around  the  huge  hearth  listening 
respectfully  to  Frau  Franzka's  words,  who, 
as  she  cooked  and  broiled,  was  obliged  to  give 
all  the  details  of  the  terrible  deed  which  the 
"German  fly-catcher" — such  was  the  name 
that  had  already  been  bestowed  upon  me  in 
Luttach — had  discovered.  When  I  passed 
through  the  kitchen  to  go  to  the  dining-room, 
I  was  most  politely  and  kindly  greeted  by  all 
present,  while  they  looked  at  me  with  undis- 
guised curiosity. 

In  the  dining-room  there  was  a  far  larger 
assembly  than  usual.  All  the  tables  were 
occupied,  but  principally  the  great  round  one 
at  which  the  Burgomaster  presided.  All  the 
gentlemen  to  whom  I  had  been  presented  on 
the  previous  evening  were  present,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Captain.  The  District  Physi- 
cian, two  gentlemen  (strangers  to  me),  and, 
oddly  enough,  Franz  Schorn,  were  also  there ; 
the  last  sat  next  the  Judge's  assistant. 

I  had  evidently  been  expected.  A  chair 
beside  the  District  Judge  had  been  reserved 
for  me,  and  when  I  appeared — quite  too  late 


Two  Wounded  Hands  103 

to  suit  the  impatience  of  those  present — I  was 
cordially  received.  Even  Franz  Schorn  rose 
from  his  seat,  and  when  the  other  gentlemen 
offered  me  their  hands,  he  held  out  his — not 
the  right  hand,  but  the  left,  like  the  Judge, 
who  had  protected  his  wounded  hand  with  a 
black  glove.  I  remarked  that  Franz  Schorn 
did  not  use  his  right  hand,  but  kept  it  con- 
cealed in  the  breast  of  his  coat,  which  was 
closely  buttoned. 

The  conversation  was  hardly  interrupted 
by  my  arrival.  Naturally  it  had  been  con- 
cerning the  murder  in  the  Lonely  House,  and 
it  so  continued  after  I  had  taken  my  place  at 
the  table.  It  was  to  me  that  all  inquisitive 
inquiries  were  now  addressed — to  me  instead 
of  to  the  Judge  or  his  assistant  or  to  the  phy- 
sician. I  was  obliged  to  relate  all  that  I  had 
seen.  I  was  questioned  about  the  smallest 
details;  the  most  insignificant  interested 
every  one. 

The  Judge,  the  assistant  and  Franz  Schorn 
alone  were  silent.  I  could  inform  the  two 
first  of  nothing  new;  there  was  no  need  for 
them  to  question  me,  and  Franz  Schorn  prob- 
ably did  not  wish  to  thrust  himself  forward 
with  inquiries. 


104  The  Lonely  House 

It  was  evident,  however,  that  he  listened 
with  intense  interest  to  everything  that  I  re- 
lated. As  I  spoke  I  narrowly  observed  the 
behaviour  of  the  Judge  and  of  Franz  Schorn, 
the  two  rivals.  Herr  Foligno  appeared 
scarcely  to  hear  what  I  was  saying.  His  eyes 
were  fixed  gloomily  on  his  wineglass,  and  he 
seemed  to  take  no  part  in  what  was  going 
on,  but  from  time  to  time  as  he  looked  up  I 
could  see  that  he  heard  every  word  that  I 
said.  Franz  Schorn  kept  his  eyes  riveted 
upon  me  as  I  spoke.  The  description  of  my 
first  discovery  of  the  murdered  man  evi- 
dently horrified  him ;  he  was  more  agitated  by 
it  than  any  of  my  other  hearers. 

After  I  had  ended  my  narrative,  and  it  had 
been  completed  by  the  physician,  the  ques- 
tion of  course  was  discussed  as  to  who  the 
murderer  could  be,  whence  he  had  come, 
how  he  had  entered  the  locked  house,  whither 
he  had  fled,  and  what  had  been  the  amount  of 
his  robbery.  In  this  discussion,  however,  the 
Judge  and  his  assistant  and  Franz  Schorn 
took  no  part,  although  they  listened  with 
close  attention. 

The  physician  defended  with  much  acute- 


Two  Wounded  Hands  105 

ness  his  own  theory  that  only  an  intimate  ac- 
quaintance of  old  Pollenz  could  have  com- 
mitted the  crime;  on  the  other  hand,  many 
present  maintained  that  the  murderer  must 
be  some  Italian  from  Trieste,  for  neither  in 
Luttach  nor  in  the  surrounding  country  was 
there  a  man  capable  of  such  a  deed. 

During  this  discussion,  to  which  Franz 
Schorn  listened  very  attentively,  the  physi- 
cian accidentally  pushed  aside  the  left  arm  of 
his  neighbour — Franz  Schorn — who  dropped 
the  cigar  which  he  was  holding  in  his  hand 
and  stooped  to  pick  it  up.  As  he  did  so,  he 
instinctively  drew  from  his  bosom  his  right 
hand,  which  had  hitherto  been  concealed  by 
his  coat.  It  was  bound  about  with  a  white 
bandage,  upon  which  were  several  spots  of 
blood.  He  thrust  it  quickly  into  his  breast 
again,  but  not  before  the  physician  had  no- 
ticed the  spots  on  the  white  linen. 

' '  Ah,  Franz !  What  is  the  matter  with  your 
hand?"  he  asked  kindly. 

' '  Nothing,' '  Franz  replied  curtly ; ' '  a  slight 
cut." 

1 1  Slight !  That  can  hardly  be ;  if  you  have 
a  bandaged  hand  and  don't  use  it,  it  must  be 


106  The  Lonely  House 

a  tolerably  deep  cut.  Of  course,  you  have 
done  nothing,  as  usual,  but  wrap  a  rag  about 
it.  You  young  people  are  incorrigible.  You 
never  reflect  that  the  neglect  of  such  cuts, 
which  you  consider  insignificant,  may  cost 
you  the  hand  itself.  Take  off  the  bandage; 
I  want  to  see  what  it  is." 

"It  is  nothing;  a  trifle,  not  worth  men- 
tioning." 

"All  the  more  readily  should  you  show  it 
to  me.  You  owe  obedience  to  an  old  friend 
of  your  father 's,  you  obstinate  fellow ;  so  off 
with  your  bandage ;  I  wish  to  see  the  wound." 

"Certainly,  if  you  insist,"  Franz  replied, 
holding  out  his  hand  and  unwinding  the  band- 
age. It  did  not  come  off  easily,  but  adhered 
to  the  wound  and  a  few  drops  of  blood  fol- 
lowed its  removal. 

"A  couple  of  good  cuts,"  said  the  physi- 
cian, examining  the  hand;  "not  dangerous; 
they  will  heal  without  any  particular  care  if 
you  spare  your  hand  a  little  for  a  couple  of 
days ;  but  how  did  you  get  such  strange  cuts  I 
Four  fingers  implicated,  and  another  gash  in 
the  palm.  It  looks  as  if  you  hadjlone  it  with 
a  knife." 


Two  Wounded  Hands  107 

"And  so  I  did,"  Franz  replied.  "I  was 
using  a  large  knife  in  the  vineyard  to-day  and 
laid  it  down  upon  a  high  wall;  it  fell  and 
would  have  pierced  my  foot,  if  instead  of 
shifting  it,  I  had  not  foolishly  grasped  at  the 
falling  knife  and  seized  the  sharp  blade  in- 
stead of  the  handle.  That  is  the  whole  story. 
Such  slight  cuts  are  not  worth  mentioning." 
He  wrapped  the  bandage  around  his  hand 
again  and  concealed  it  as  before  in  the  breast 
of  his  coat. 

"Such  slight  cuts  are  not  worth  mention- 
ing," the  young  man  had  said,  and  it  was 
true;  they  were  insignificant.  Nevertheless 
they  aroused  in  me  a  chain  of  thought  which 
filled  me  with  dread.  Involuntarily  I  thought 
of  the  bloody,  dagger-like  knife  which  I  had 
seen  in  the  Lonely  House.  If  the  murderer 
in  his  contest  with  the  old  man  had  endeav- 
oured to  take  the  knife  from  him  and  had 
accidentally  seized  it  by  the  blade,  his  hand 
would  have  been  wounded  precisely  as  was 
that  of  Franz  Schorn.  Schorn  had  hitherto 
kept  his  right  hand  concealed.  Why  so  ?  Did 
he  wish  to  conceal  the  wound!  An  involun- 
tary motion,  an  accident,  had  compelled  him 


108  The  Lonely  House 

to  show  the  bandaged  hand,  and  it  was  with 
great  reluctance  that  he  had  acceded  to  the 
physician's  request. 

I  looked  at  the  District  Judge.  The  same 
suspicion  which  had  made  me  shudder  had 
been  aroused  also  in  him.  I  could  read  it  in 
the  lowering,  searching  glance  which  he  gave 
to  the  hand  as  Franz  was  wrapping  it  in  the 
bandage  again.  When  he  looked  up  after- 
wards and  his  gaze  met  mine,  his  eyes  were 
more  eloquent  than  his  tongue  could  have 
been.  He  slowly  raised  his  hand  in  its  black 
glove  as  if  in  token  of  our  understanding  each 
other.  Strangely  enough,  his  motion  and  his 
look  had  the  effect  of  instantly  banishing  the 
dark  suspicion  that  had  been  awakened  within 
me.  I  had  no  right  to  entertain  it.  Had  not 
the  Judge  himself  also  accidentally  wounded 
his  right  hand  this  very  day?  Might  I  not 
have  seen  him  also  near  the  Lonely  House, 
since  he  had  been  climbing  among  the  rocks 
in  search  of  flowers?  No,  it  would  be  rank 
folly  to  found  a  suspicion  with  regard  to 
Franz  Schorn  upon  such  accidental  circum- 
stances. That  the  young  man  seemed  even 
more  gloomy  and  preoccupied  than  on  the 


Two  Wounded  Hands  109 

previous  evening,  and  that  he  scarcely 
uttered  a  word,  furnished  no  grounds  for  any 
suspicion  with  regard  to  him.  Must  he  not 
be  deeply  agitated  by  the  terrible  death  of  an 
old  man  with  whom  he  stood  in  such  close, 
although  hostile,  relations?  I  blamed  myself 
for  being  so  carried  away  by  my  indignation 
as  to  be  ready  to  find  in  insignificant  trifles  an 
undue  importance.  Besides,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Judge,  whose  duty  it  was  to  in- 
vestigate all  grounds  of  suspicion,  no  other 
member  of  the  company  had  thought  of  con- 
necting Franz  Schorn's  wounded  hand  with 
the  murder.  They  all  continued  to  converse 
freely ;  even  the  physician,  so  acute  in  piecing 
out  evidence,  who  might  have  entertained 
some  vague  suspicion,  had  none  at  all ;  he  had 
thought  no  possible  evil  of  Franz,  and  con- 
tinued to  address  him  now  from  time  to  time 
as  kindly  and  unreservedly  as  before.  Still, 
this  evening  I  was  very  uncomfortable  among 
them  all.  Their  continued  talk,  always  of  the 
same  details,  always  of  the  horrible  crime, 
increased  my  nervous  agitation  to  an  intol- 
erable degree.  It  was  impossible  to  change 
the  subject  of  the  conversation;  it  always 


110  The  Lonely  House 

reverted  to  the  murder  in  the  Lonely  House. 

This  perpetual  return  to  the  same  horrible 
subject  stretched  me  upon  the  rack;  I  could 
no  longer  endure  it.  As  soon  as  I  had  fin- 
ished my  trout  and  my  wine,  I  rose  to  with- 
draw to  my  room.  The  Judge  followed  my 
example,  and  rose  also.  After  emptying  his 
tall  glass  at  a  draught,  he  said  he  was  tired 
and  unhinged  and  needed  to  go  to  bed  early 
after  so  terrible  a  day.  His  clerk  and  the 
physician,  with  several  other  gentlemen,  cour- 
teously entreated  me  to  stay  at  least  for  half 
an  hour  longer,  it  was  so  early.  Without 
positive  discourtesy  I  could  not  refuse  their 
request,  and  ordered  myself  another  glass  of 
wine.  The  Judge  followed  my  example, 
although  no  one  had  requested  him  to  remain. 
In  the  short  time  that  I  stayed,  barely  half  an 
hour,  he  drank  two  full  glasses  of  wine,  the 
last  at  a  draught  just  as  I  arose  and  declined 
to  remain  longer. 

Together  we  ascended  the  stairs.  Mizka 
preceded  us  with  a  candle.  When  we  reached 
the  landing  in  the  first  story,  the  Judge 
offered  me  his  left  hand  in  farewell. 

"Good-night,    Herr   Professor,"   he    said 


Two  Wounded  Hands  111 

aloud,  adding  in  a  whisper,  "I  fear  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  ask  you  to-morrow  to  give  me  offi- 
cially an  account  of  your  meeting  with  Herr 
Franz  Schorn  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Lonely  House. "  He  looked  around  at  Mizka, 
who  was  opening  the  door  of  my  room,  and  as 
she  entered  it  he  continued,  "A  ground  of 
suspicion  such  as  the  wound  in  his  right  hand 
compels  me  to  abandon  all  personal  consid- 
erations. ' ' 

Greatly  startled,  I  replied,  "Mere  chance, 
Herr  Foligno;  you,  too,  have  wounded  your 
right  hand  to-day." 

My  innocent  words  made  him  start  as  if  I 
had  struck  him  a  blow  in  the  face.  I  could 
not  see  his  features,  it  was  too  dark  on  the 
landing ;  a  weak  ray  of  light  coming  from  the 
open  door  of  my  room  was  the  only  illumina- 
tion; but  the  quiver  in  his  voice  as  he  an- 
swered me  after  a  pause  of  a  second,  betrayed 
the  disastrous  effect  of  my  words. 

"You  are  perfectly  right,  Herr  Professor; 
it  may  be  *  mere  chance. '  I  shall  not  proceed 
against  Herr  Schorn.  I  will  even  try  to  com- 
bat my  suspicion  of  evil  in  him,  my  enemy, 
but  it  is  my  duty  to  search  for  further 


112  The  Lonely  House 

grounds  of  suspicion  against  him.  That  must 
be  done  in  spite  of  my  hostile  feeling  towards 
him.  Good-night,  Herr  Professor." 

He  pressed  my  hand  once  more,  and  we 
parted. 

Mizka  was  already  husy  in  my  room  put- 
ting everything  in  order  for  the  night.  She 
was  obliged  to  do  this  as  quickly  as  possible, 
for  the  number  of  guests  below  in  the  dining- 
room  and  in  the  kitchen  depended  upon  her 
services;  but  she  could  not  forego  a  little 
gossip.  She  told  me  that  before  I  had  entered 
the  dining-room  this  evening  there  had  been 
quite  a  quarrel  between  the  Judge  and  his 
assistant.  They  had  been  seated  at  the  round 
table  when  Franz  Schorn  entered  the  room 
and  looked  around  for  a  place.  All  the  tables 
were  full,  and  the  Clerk  had  invited  Schorn  to 
sit  beside  him  at  the  round  table.  This  made 
the  Judge  violently  angry,  but  the  Clerk  de- 
clared that  the  Judge  had  no  more  authority 
than  any  other  guest  in  the  dining-room  of 
the  inn.  Franz  Schorn  would  have  retired, 
but  the  Clerk  detained  him,  and  the  physician, 
who  had  been  an  old  friend  of  Franz's  dead 
father,  had  declared  that  he  himself  would 


Two  Wounded  Hands  113 

stay  only  on  condition  of  Franz's  remaining, 
and  would  never  again  take  his  place  at  the 
round  table  if  Herr  Foligno  denied  a  seat 
there  to  Franz.  The  Burgomaster,  too,  and 
the  other  gentlemen,  who  were  not  always 
friendly  to  Franz,  now  took  his  part,  so  that 
the  Judge  was  obliged  to  yield,  and  Franz,  in- 
duced by  their  persuasions,  took  his  seat ;  but 
neither  the  Judge  nor  Franz  after  the  quarrel 
had  exchanged  a  word. 

What  strange  occurrences  were  these  in 
this  little  country  town !  Even  here,  the  few 
cultivated  people,  so  circumscribed  in  their 
social  relations,  were  divided  by  hatred  and 
prejudice.  I  undressed  myself  and,  with  a 
memory  of  the  gymnastic  feats  of  my  boy- 
hood, clambered  into  my  lofty  bed.  I  was 
sadly  in  need  of  repose.  The  agitations  of 
the  day  had  been  too  much  for  my  old  body. 
They  had  exhausted  my  strength,  and  yet 
excitement  of  mind  conquered  bodily  weari- 
ness. I  could  not  sleep.  I  tried  in  vain  to 
banish  the  memory  of  the  dreadful  scenes 
through  which  I  had  passed.  I  tried  to  think 
of  it  all  with  indifference ;  but  what  I  had  seen 
in  the  Lonely  House  scared  away  sleep,  of 


114  The  Lonely  House 

which  I  had  such  sore  need.  Hours  and  hours 
passed.  The  time  seemed  eternal  before  at 
last  I  closed  my  weary  eyes. 

And  the  Judge  had  the  same  experience ;  he 
could  not  sleep  that  night.  As  long  as  I  lay 
awake  in  bed  I  heard  the  sound  of  his  foot- 
steps above  me,  as  he  paced  his  room  to  and 
fro  restlessly.  Surely  the  same  memories 
were  agitating  him  which  denied  me  the  bless- 
ing of  slumber.  The  investigation  at  the 
Lonely  House  had  not  been  the  mere  fulfil- 
ment of  a  duty  for  him,  any  more  than  it  had 
been  for  the  physician.  The  horror  of  it  all 
had  impressed  him  as  profoundly  as  it  had 
myself.  It  did  not  lessen  my  opinion  of  him 
that  he  should  thus  have  preserved  in  the 
midst  of  his  official  duties  a  warm,  sensitive 
heart. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   TWO   BEQUESTS. 

AGAIN  I  awoke  early  in  the  morning.  I  did 
not  need  much  sleep  for  physical  refreshment, 
and  although  it  had  lasted  but  a  few  hours,  I 
felt  quite  fresh  and  well.  The  beautiful  morn- 
ing should  serve  me  for  another  expedition, 
and  I  wished  to  start  as  early  as  possible ;  in 
Southern  Ukraine  only  the  early  morning 
hours  are  suitable  for  mountain  walks  and 
climbing.  As  long  as  the  dew  still  glitters  on 
the  grass,  wandering  in  the  Ukraine  moun- 
tains is  indescribably  delightful,  but  when 
the  glowing  sun  has  absorbed  the  last  dew- 
drops,  when  its  direct  rays  are  reflected  from 
gray  rocks,  when  no  breath  of  air  fans  the 
climber's  cheek,  mountain-climbing  becomes 
altogether  too  hard  a  task  for  an  old  man.  I 
finished  my  breakfast  before  six  o'clock  and 
was  all  ready  for  a  start.  Whither  should  I 
turn  my  steps?  The  forest  above  the  Chapel 
of  St.  Nikolas  allured  me.  I  had  found  such 
entomological  treasures  there  on  the  previous 

[115] 


116  The  Lonely  House 

day  that  I  surely  could  do  nothing  better  than 
go  thither  again.  I  could  not  collect  too 
many  specimens  of  the  grub  of  the  Saturnia 
ccecigena,  for,  unfortunately,  I  could  not  be 
sure  that  each  larva  would  produce  a  butter- 
fly. To  St.  Nikolas,  then,  I  took  my  way  and 
by  the  narrow  path.  I  had  succeeded  in  de- 
scending it  without  accident  the  day  before, 
and  it  was  surely  not  too  dangerous  for 
me  to  ascend  it.  I  set  out.  The  path  cer- 
tainly was  better  than  its  reputation.  It  had 
no  danger  for  a  climber  not  subject  to  dizzi- 
ness, and  was  quite  firm  beneath  the  foot.  I 
had  often  ascended  far  more  steep  and  dan- 
gerous pathways  in  my  search  for  some  rare 
plant. 

The  easy  footpath  leading  to  the  Lonely 
House  was  soon  reached,  and  I  strode  for- 
ward sturdily.  On  the  previous  day  I  had 
hurried  along  it,  only  desirous  to  reach  Lut- 
tach  as  quickly  as  possible.  To-day  I  feasted 
my  eyes  with  the  view  of  the  charming  coun- 
try upon  which  I  looked  down,  while  at  the 
same  time  I  scrutinized  with  the  keenness  of  a 
collector  the  gentle  ascent  on  my  left  where  I 
might  perhaps  discover  some  treasure  grow- 


The  Two  Requests  117 

ing  among  the  rocks.  Not  far  from  the  Lonely 
House  I  perceived  to  my  great  joy  in  a  spot 
which  could  be  reached  without  difficulty 
many  beautiful  specimens  of  the  very  orchid 
Ophrys  Bertolini  which  the  Judge  had 
brought  to  me  yesterday.  This  was  an  unex- 
pected delight.  In  yesterday's  excitement  I 
had  neglected  to  put  the  charming  flowers  in 
water,  and  when  I  returned  from  the  investi- 
gation they  were  so  withered  that  they  were 
not  worth  preserving  for  my  herbarium. 
Now  I  could  gather  many  glorious  specimens 
without  any  trouble. 

I  left  the  path  and  easily  climbed  the  rocks 
soon  reaching  the  spot  where  the  orchids 
grew.  But  no  sooner  had  I  arrived  there 
than  to  my  astonishment  several  trampled 
flowers  showed  me  that  another  had  been 
before  me,  who  was  also  a  collector,  and  had 
plucked  many  blossoms  of  the  rare  Oplirys. 

One  spot  showed  me  that  whoever  he  was, 
he  had  been  no  true  botanist ;  a  true  botanist 
would  have  taken  the  plants,  roots  and  all, 
not  the  blossoms  only.  He  who  collected  the 
flowers  here  must  have  been  in  a  hurry;  he 
had  dropped  several  blossoms  which  lay 


118  The  Lonely  House 

wilted  on  the  ground  and  had  evidently  been 
plucked  yesterday. 

Was  this  the  spot  where  the  Judge  had  col- 
lected the  beautiful  Ophrys  for  me?  The 
specimens  which  he  had  brought  me  were 
without  roots.  I  now  recalled  this  circum- 
stance, which  had  escaped  my  notice  on  the 
previous  day ;  but  he  had  said  that  it  had  cost 
him  some  trouble  and  even  danger  to  reach 
the  rare  plants  with  the  habitat  of  which  he 
was  acquainted.  He  had  fallen  in  doing  so 
and  had  lacerated  his  hand.  It  was  impossi- 
ble that  he  could  have  done  so  here ;  for  here 
was  no  possible  danger;  no  flowers  on  the 
mountains  could  be  plucked  with  more  facility 
than  these. 

And  yet  here  the  Judge  had  been.  He  had 
certainly  gathered  the  Ophrys  for  me  here.  I 
found  one  unmistakable  proof  of  his  presence. 
On  the  ground  lay  a  red  and  yellow  silk 
pocket  handkerchief,  just  exactly  such  a 
handkerchief  as  the  Judge  had  carried  the 
day  before  yesterday.  I  remembered  it  per- 
fectly. Of  course  he  had  lost  it  here  while 
plucking  the  flowers. 

Involuntarily  I  smiled  at  the  good  man's 


The  Two  Requests  119 

boast ;  in  order  to  give  his  gift  a  higher  value, 
he  had  talked  of  danger  in  procuring  it.  I 
would  tease  him  a  little  for  his  bragging. 
When  I  returned  his  handkerchief  I  would 
expatiate  on  the  terrible  danger  of  the  place 
where  the  Ophrys  Bertolini  was  to  be  found. 

Still  the  plucking  of  the  flowers  had  not 
been  entirely  without  danger  for  him.  I  could 
not  comprehend  how  he  could  have  fallen  on 
this  smooth  spot  and  wounded  his  hand,  but 
that  he  had  done  so  the  handkerchief  testified. 
On  the  yellow  silk  there  were  several  brown 
stains,  which  I  recognized  as  blood.  The 
hackneyed  old  saying,  "No  fall  so  slight  but 
may  kill  you  quite,"  occurred  to  me.  With 
a  smile  I  put  the  handkerchief  in  my  pocket 
to  return  it  to  its  owner  when  I  got  back  to 
the  inn.  I  dug  up  a  number  of  the  beautiful 
Ophrys  Bertolini  growing  here  by  hundreds, 
and  then,  walking  on  quickly,  in  scarcely  five 
minutes  I  reached  the  Lonely  House.  I  was 
going  to  pass  it,  but  from  a  window  of  the 
upper  story  the  Captain  called,  begging  me  to 
wait  a  moment  and  he  would  join  me. 

He  came  and  greeted  me  with  great  cor- 


120  The  Lonely  House 

diality.  He  had  passed  a  melancholy  night. 
Old  Johanna  had  been  half  crazy  with  fear 
and  was  absolutely  useless.  He  had  tried  to 
persuade  her  to  occupy  one  of  the  two  rooms 
on  the  right  of  the  hall,  but  she  had  fled  to  her 
bed  in  the  upper  story  and  locked  herself  in. 
Therefore  the  Captain  had  earnestly  en- 
treated Anna  to  leave  the  Lonely  House,  but 
all  his  words  had  been  in  vain.  Anna  dis- 
played wonderful  composure  in  her  profound 
grief,  but  at  the  same  time  a  firmness  of 
purpose  bordering  on  obstinacy.  She  had 
declared  that  she  would  not  leave  the  Lonely 
House  as  long  as  it  sheltered  her  father's 
body.  She  could  not  leave  it  all  alone  there. 
She  would  stay  with  him  until  he  was  buried, 
and  she  watched  beside  the  corpse  for  half 
the  night.  Morning  had  dawned  before  she 
betook  herself  to  rest. 

"Anna  is  a  strange  child,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain. "There  are  odd  contradictions  in  her 
character.  She  is  gentle  and  yielding  and  at 
the  same  time  absolutely  firm,  open  to  no 
persuasion;  sometimes  frank  and  confiding; 
at  others  reserved  and  almost  suspicious  even 
of  me,  although  she  has  repeatedly  assured 


The  Two  Requests  121 

me  that  she  trusts  no  human  being  as  she  does 
me  and  my  brother,  the  Burgomaster.  "With 
entire  frankness  she  has  given  me  a  detailed 
account  of  all  the  misery  and  wretchedness 
which  has  existed  here  in  the  house  ever  since 
the  day  when  Franz  Schorn  asked  her  in  mar- 
riage of  her  father.  Towards  herself  the  old 
man  was  kind  and  caressing,  although  she  de- 
clared to  him  that  she  never  would  forsake 
Franz  Schorn,  that  she  never  would  marry 
the  Judge ;  but  to  every  other  human  being, 
and  particularly  to  Franz,  he  displayed  posi- 
tive hatred,  regarding  all  with  profound  sus- 
picion, even  old  Johanna.  He  was  completely 
dominated  by  the  fear  that  some  day  he 
should  be  attacked  and  murdered.  Where- 
fore he  always  bolted  himself  into  his  room, 
and  if  he  admitted  any  one  was  armed  with  a 
dagger-like  knife.  He  kept  this  terrible  knife 
in  his  hand  even  whilst  old  Johanna  arranged 
his  room;  even  from  her  he  feared  some 
secret  attack.  No  entreaty  of  Anna's  could 
induce  him  to  moderate  his  savage  hatred  of 
Franz.  She,  on  her  part,  declared  that  she 
never  would  forsake  Franz  as  long  as  she 
lived.  This  had  led  to  continual  strife  be- 


122  The  Lonely  House 

tween  herself  and  her  father,  for  she  had  told 
him  frankly  that  he  must  shut  her  up  in  a 
close  prison  if  he  wished  to  prevent  her  from 
seeing  Franz,  and  she  had  seen  him  almost 
daily;  when  her  father  locked  himself  up  in 
his  room  after  the  midday  meal  to  sleep  for 
an  hour,  she  always  left  the  house  to  see 
Franz,  who  awaited  her  beneath  the  large  oak 
not  far  away.  Her  father  knew  this,  but  had 
done  nothing  to  prevent  it,  after  she  had  de- 
clared to  him  that  she  should  continue  to  do 
it,  and  if  he  locked  her  in  the  house,  she  would 
try  to  break  the  locks.  The  strange  girl  told 
me  all  this  with  reckless  frankness,  while  at 
the  same  time  she  refused  me  any  explana- 
tion, although  I  begged  her  to  give  it,  of  what 
she  meant  yesterday  when  she  declared  that 
she  perhaps  was  guilty  of  her  father's 
death.  My  little  Anna  is  a  riddle  to  me, ' '  the 
Captain  thus  closed  his  long  account,  "but  I 
love  her  none  the  less  and  I  shall  stay  here 
to  protect  her.  I  will  not  leave  her  all  by  her- 
self in  the  Lonely  House.  Now  you  can  do 
me  a  favour,  Herr  Professor.  When  you  re- 
turn at  midday  from  your  excursion  to  St. 
Nikolas,  stop  here  before  the  Lonely  House 


The  Two  Requests  123 

once  more,  and  I  will  give  you  some  directions 
to  take  to  Luttach  for  my  brother,  the  Burgo- 
master. He  must  provide  a  suitable  home  for 
Anna  in  Luttach  if  she  refuses  to  accept  the 
doctor's  invitation  after  her  father's  funeral, 
for  which  he  must  also  give  directions.  I  will 
put  all  this  down  in  a  letter,  which  you  will 
have  the  kindness  to  give  to  my  brother 
yourself. ' ' 

I  at  once  promised  what  he  asked,  and  we 
parted  the  best  of  friends.  The  Captain  re- 
turned to  the  Lonely  House  to  write  his  letter, 
which,  as  he  said,  was  quite  a  task  for  an  old 
soldier  unaccustomed  for  many  years  to  hold 
a  pen. 

I  continued  my  walk  and  soon  reached  the 
little  Church  of  St.  Nikolas.  Again  I  fed  my 
eyes  on  the  charming  prospect  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  collect.  I  scrambled  about  in  the 
forest,  hither  and  thither,  for  some  hours; 
then  up  on  the  bald  rocky  side  of  Nanos,  and 
not  until  my  bottles  and  boxes  were  so  full 
that  I  could  accommodate  no  more  treasures, 
and  the  heat  had  become  oppressive,  did  I 
take  my  way  back  towards  noon  by  the  same 
path  which  I  had  followed  yesterday.  In  a 


124  The  Lonely  House 

little  while  I  reached  the  footpath  leading  to 
the  Lonely  House,  and  on  the  very  same  spot 
where  I  had  yesterday  encountered  Franz 
Schorn  I  found  him  again  to-day,  but  he  did 
not  avoid  me;  he  awaited  me.  He  was  not 
alone;  beside  him,  with  his  arm  around  her 
waist,  stood  pretty  Anna.  They  were  a 
charming  pair.  I  delighted  in  the  sight  of  the 
two  beautiful  young  people.  Franz  was  cer- 
tainly a  handsome  fellow.  Now,  as  he  looked 
down  on  his  lovely  companion,  with  eyes  full 
of  the  tenderest  affection,  the  beauty  of  his 
features,  which  a  gloomy  expression  had  hith- 
erto concealed,  was  plainly  visible. 

When  the  young  man  observed  me,  a 
shadow  crossed  his  brow.  Without  releasing 
his  companion,  with  his  left  hand  he  took  off 
his  straw  hat  in  greeting.  Then  Anna,  too, 
saw  me,  and  with  a  blush  beckoned  to  me 
kindly.  She  made  no  attempt  to  release  her- 
self from  the  embracing  arm  of  the  young 
man. 

"  We  were  awaiting  you  here,  Herr  Profes- 
sor," said  Franz,  as  I  reached  them.  "Cap- 
tain Pollenz  informed  my  betrothed  that  you, 
in  coming  from  St.  Nikolas,  had  promised  to 


The  Two  Requests  125 

stop,  towards  noon,  at  the  Lonely  House; 
therefore  we  came  to  meet  you  to  make  a 
request  of  you. ' ' 

"Which  I  shall  certainly  comply  with  if 
possible,"  I  replied,  regarding  the  young  girl 
with  genuine  delight.  She  blushed,  but  looked 
up  with  kindling  eyes  at  Franz  as  he  uttered 
the  word  "  betrothed. " 

"It  is  a  request  that  may  seem  strange  to 
you,  Herr  Professor,"  Franz  continued, 
"but,  nevertheless,  I  will  make  it;  I  am  con- 
vinced that  you  would  not  wish  to  cause  an- 
noyance either  to  myself  or  to  my  dear  be- 
trothed." 

"Most  certainly  not.  Pray  tell  me  quite 
frankly  what  you  wish. ' ' 

"  It  is  not  much.  I  would  only  ask  you  not 
to  mention  to  any  one  our  meeting  yesterday 
here  in  this  place." 

The  request  in  itself  seemed  trivial  enough, 
but  the  look  which  accompanied  it  was  far 
from  meaningless.  It  betokened  intense 
anxiety  as  to  whether  or  not  I  would  accede 
to  what  he  asked. 

In  truth,  the  young  man's  request  was  a 
strange  one.  Involuntarily  my  eyes  turned  to 


126  The  Lonely  House 

his  wounded  right  hand.  All  diverse  thoughts 
ran  riot  in  my  brain.  I  remembered  the  large 
double-edged  knife  with  its  bloody  handle 
lying  on  the  floor  of  the  room  in  the  Lonely 
House,  and  then  came  the  memory  of  the  cut 
on  a  brown  hand  and  the  doctor's  voice  say- 
ing, "That  looks  as  if  you  had  grasped  a 
knife  by  the  blade. ' '  Again  I  saw  Franz  turn 
from  me  to  hurry  through  the  undergrowth, 
and  again  I  saw  him  with  eyes  gloomily  cast 
down  as  he  listened  to  the  physician's  words. 
I  recalled  his  bitter  hostility  to  old  Pollenz, 
and  the  old  man's  words,  "That  fellow  will 
kill  me  one  of  these  days."  Hitherto  I  had 
entertained  no  downright  suspicion  of  the 
young  fellow,  but  it  suddenly  stirred  within 
me. 

"Why  do  you  wish  me  not  to  mention  our 
meeting?"  I  asked  in  reply. 

"Because  I  begged  Franz  to  ask  you  this," 
Anna  replied  for  the  young  man,  whose 
features  as  I  spoke  resumed  their  wonted 
gloomy  expression.  ' '  Franz  told  me  that  yes- 
terday he  turned  away  from  you  because  he 
wished  to  avoid  any  meeting  with  you.  He 
feared  it  might  cause  you  annoyance,  if  you 


The  Two  Requests  127 

had  happened  to  be  seen  by  any  chance  pas- 
ser-by walking  with  him.  He  had  been  wait- 
ing for  me  a  long  time  in  vain  beneath  the  old 
oak  where  we  are  used  to  meet  every  day  at 
noon.  I  could  not  come  because  my  father 
had  sent  me  down  to  Luttach.  Franz  was  in 
a  very  bad  humour  when  he  met  you,  and  so, 
to  avoid  greeting  you,  he  turned  away  into 
the  forest." 

Anna's  words  had  a  peculiar  effect  upon 
me.  They  strengthened  my  suspicions.  If 
he  were  not  guilty,  would  Franz  have  thought 
it  necessary  to  have  the  young  girl  explain  to 
me  why  he  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Lonely  House  at  noon,  and  why  he  had  turned 
away  from  me  with  such  sullen  looks  ? 

"You  have  not  yet  told  me  why  I  should 
not  mention  my  meeting  with  Herr  Schorn," 
I  replied. 

"I  will  explain  that  to  you  myself,"  Franz 
said  hurriedly,  "my  betrothed  thinks  that  if 
Foligno  should  learn  that  I  was  seen  yester- 
day here  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Lonely 
House,  the  malice  and  hatred  with  which  he 
regards  me  would  find  expression  in  vile  sus- 
picion of  me." 


128  The  Lonely  House 

"It  would  certainly  be  so.  I  entreat  you, 
dear  Herr  Professor,  do  not  tell  a  human 
being  that  you  met  Franz  yesterday. ' ' 

As  she  spoke  the  young  girl  looked  up  at 
me  with  such  entreaty  in  her  beautiful  eyes 
that  my  heart  was  softened.  I  was  in  an 
awkward  position.  Ought  I  to  tell  her  that  I 
could  not  comply  with  her  request,  because  I 
had  already  informed  the  Judge  of  my  meet- 
ing Franz  ?  This  I  could  not  do.  I  could  not 
warn  Franz  without  perhaps  injuring  the 
investigation;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  I  cer- 
tainly could  not  make  a  promise  which  it  was 
already  impossible  to  keep. 

"I  can  promise  nothing,"  I  replied  guard- 
edly ; ' '  in  an  official  examination  one  is  bound 
to  conceal  nothing. ' ' 

"Oh,  Herr  Professor,  I  beg,  I  entreat 
you » 

Franz  interrupted  her,  and,  casting  at  me 
a  look  which  was  almost  menacing,  exclaimed, 
"Do  not  say  another  word,  Anna;  the  Herr 
Professor  is  right;  it  was  folly,  yes,  wrong, 
for  me  to  yield  to  your  desire  and  make  this 
request  of  the  Herr  Professor,  who  ought  not 
to  comply  with  it.  If  that  scoundrel,  Foligno, 


The  Two  Requests  129 

suspects  me,  I  know  how  to  meet  his  sus- 
picion. Come,  Anna,  we  ought  not  to  detain 
the  gentleman  any  longer." 

He  lifted  his  hat  by  way  of  farewell,  and 
walked  towards  the  forest  with  the  young 
girl.  My  mind  was  filled  with  contradictory 
thoughts.  Can  that  proud,  self-assertive 
young  man  be  a  miserable  criminal  I  I  would 
so  gladly  have  banished  all  suspicion  of  him, 
but — how  terrible  it  was  that  so  lovely  and 
charming  a  girl  had  perhaps  bestowed  the 
wealth  of  her  affection  upon  her  father's 
murderer ! 

I  walked  slowly  towards  the  Lonely  House, 
where  the  Captain,  sitting  before  the  door, 
was  awaiting  me.  He  handed  me  the  letter 
for  his  brother,  gave  me  various  verbal  com- 
missions, and  I  left  with  a  promise  to  visit 
him  shortly  in  the  Lonely  House. 

' '  Shall  I  bring  the  Herr  Professor 's  lunch 
into  the  garden?"  Mizka  asked  me  as  I  en- 
tered the  kitchen  of  the  Golden  Vine  on  my 
return  from  my  excursion.  ' '  The  Judge  has 
been  lunching  in  the  garden,  and  is  sitting 
with  his  coffee  beneath  the  great  linden." 

The  Ophrys  Bertolmi  occurred  to  me.  I 
smiled  at  the  remembrance  of  the  Judge's 


130  The  Lonely  House 

boast  and  was  pleased  at  the  idea  of  teasing 
him.  Of  course  I  ordered  my  lunch  in  the 
garden  and  betook  myself  thither. 

The  Judge  was  sipping  his  coffee  and 
smoking  his  long  cigar  at  the  round  table 
beneath  the  spreading  linden.  He  seemed 
sunk  in  a  profound  reverie,  leaning  his  head 
upon  his  hand  and  with  downcast  eyes.  I 
was  struck  with  his  pallor  and  with  the  sal- 
lowness  and  the  drawn  look  of  his  features. 
At  my  first  words  he  started  violently,  and 
for  a  moment  gazed  at  me  with  terror,  almost 
as  if  awaking  from  an  oppressive  dream,  but 
in  an  instant  he  recovered  his  self-control, 
and  greeted  me  with  a  smile. 

"I  think  I  was  dozing,"  he  said;  "the  ter- 
rible heat  makes  me  sleepy." 

Why  should  he  have  told  such  an  untruth  ? 
He  had  not  been  dozing;  just  before  he 
started  he  had  raised  his  hand  to  his  cigar 
and  had  taken  a  long  whiff. 

"I  admire  you,  Herr  Professor,"  he  said, 
"for  being  able  to  climb  about  in  such  heat. 
I  suffer  from  it  even  here  in  the  shade  of  the 
linden.  I  trust  you  were  richly  rewarded  for 
your  trouble. ' ' 


The  Two  Requests  131 

* '  I  was  indeed, ' '  I  replied  smiling.  '  *  I  have 
had  great  luck.  I  have  been  so  fortunate  as 
even  to  discover  the  place  where,  yesterday, 
you  plucked  for  me  the  charming  Oplirys 
Bertolini." 

My  jesting  words  produced  a  strange 
effect.  Herr  Foligno  stared  at  me  blankly; 
his  sallow  face  grew  ashy  pale;  his  mouth 
twitched  convulsively  as  he  said  brokenly, 
"No,  impossible!  How — how — could  you — 
how  could  you  get  there?" 

"In  the  easiest  way  in  the  world,"  I  re- 
plied, tickled  that  the  discovery  of  his  boast 
had  so  startled  the  worthy  gentleman.  "The 
spot,  so  difficult  and  even  dangerous  to  attain, 
in  reaching  which  you  fell  on  the  rocks  and 
wounded  your  hand,  I  found  right  on  the  road 
to  the  Lonely  House  and  most  easy  of  attain- 
ment. From  the  path  I  saw  the  Oplirys 
blooming,  and  mounted  without  any  difficulty 
to  where  it  grew. ' ' 

"Then  you  have  had  the  good  fortune  to 
discover  a  new  home  for  it  which  I  had  not 
known,"  Herr  Foligno  replied,  having  re- 
gained his  self-control  with  surprising  celer- 
ity. "I  found  the  orchid  on  an  overhanging 


132  The  Lonely  House 

rock  in  quite  a  distant  part  of  the  country. ' ' 

11  Indeed,  that  is  very  remarkable.  Did 
you,  by  chance,  lose  your  pocket  handker- 
chief there?  I  found  it  in  my  spot — or  is  it 
not  yours  ?  Look,  the  yellow  silk  shows  some 
spots  of  blood,  probably  from  a  wounded 
hand." 

With  a  laugh  I  drew  out  the  handkerchief 
and  handed  it  to  him ;  the  black  gloved  hand 
with  which  he  took  it  trembled.  He  exam- 
ined it  quite  attentively  for  some  time,  and 
then  said  quietly,  "This  certainly  is  a  re- 
markable coincidence.  The  handkerchief 
actually  belongs  to  me,  and  I  probably  lost  it 
yesterday  in  climbing  about  the  rocks,  but 
certainly  not  where  you  found  it,  for  I  was 
not  even  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Lonely 
House.  Probably  one  of  the  young  goatherds 
here  who  scramble  about  everywhere  in  the 
mountains  found  it,  and  lost  it  again  where 
you  discovered  it." 

With  the  greatest  calmness  he  put  the 
handkerchief  in  his  pocket.  I  could  not  re- 
fuse him  my  admiration,  for  his  barefaced 
explanation  struck  me  as  quite  brilliant. 
Whether  I  believed  him  or  not,  I  must  pre- 


The  Two  Requests  133 

tend  to  do  so.  Laughing  heartily,  I  replied : 
"I  congratulate  you,  Herr  Foligno,  on  the 
happy  chance  which  led  the  little  goatherd 
and  the  old  Professor  to  the  same  place,  one 
losing,  the  other  finding  your  handkerchief 
to  restore  it  to  you." 

The  Judge  probably  felt  the  irony  in  my 
words,  but  he  took  no  notice  of  it.  He  offered 
me  his  hand  cordially. 

"It  certainly  is  a  very  strange  coinci- 
dence," he  said.  "If  my  acquaintances  here 
should  hear  of  it,  it  might  give  them  material 
for  teasing  me  quite  unpleasantly.  You  will 
oblige  me,  Herr  Professor,  if  you  will  not 
mention  this  little  occurrence.  May  I  rely 
upon  you?" 

"Certainly;  I  will  be  silent  as  the  grave," 
I  replied,  still  laughing,  but  the  suspicious 
and  evil  glance  which  he  cast  at  me  quickly 
silenced  my  laughter.  He  said  nothing  fur- 
ther about  the  handkerchief  or  the  OpJirys; 
he  only  made  a  few  remarks  about  the  un- 
usual heat  of  the  weather  so  late  in  the  sea- 
son, and  then  arose,  saying  that  he  was 
obliged  to  return  to  his  office,  and,  therefore, 
to  his  regret,  must  leave  me. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

QUIET   WEEKS. 

THE  first  eventful  days  which  I  passed  in 
Luttach  were  followed  by  weeks  that  were 
more  serene.  Favoured  by  the  beautiful 
weather,  I  made  daily  excursions  in  every 
direction,  reaping  a  rich  harvest  everywhere. 
I  grew  more  and  more  familiar  with  the  pecu- 
liar features  of  the  country,  and  every  day  I 
grew  more  in  sympathy  with  the  smiling, 
charming  valley  shut  in  by  mountains 
crowned  with  bald  summits.  The  contrast 
between  the  barren  gray  rocks  and  the  luxu- 
riant valley  at  their  feet  particularly 
charmed  me,  and  I  especially  delighted  in  the 
view  when  the  sun  sank  behind  the  mountains, 
which  were  quickly  enveloped  in  a  soft  twi- 
light mist,  the  noble  outlines  of  their  peaks 
showing  clear  against  the  sky  in  the  light  of 
the  setting  sun. 

The  character  of  the  inhabitants  of  South- 
ern Ukraine  soon  grew  familiar  to  me.  Inter- 
course with  the  country  folk  whom  I  met  on 

[134] 


Quiet  Weeks  135 

my  excursions  was,  of  course,  very  limited; 
we  could  not  understand  each  other's  lan- 
guage. Here  and  there  a  man  who  had 
served  in  the  army  could  speak  German,  but 
only  brokenly.  The  women  for  the  most  part 
spoke  scarcely  a  German  word,  and  they 
found  it  very  difficult  to  understand  the  few 
Slavonic  words  which  I  had  learned  from 
Mizka  and  which  I  certainly  pronounced  very 
badly.  There  could  be  no  attempt  at  conver- 
sation, but  nevertheless  the  Slavonic  country 
folk  tried  to  testify  kindness  and  cordiality 
for  the  stranger. 

The  peasants  evidently  held  it  their  duty  to 
offer  the  hospitality  of  their  fields  to  the  ''fly- 
catcher, ' '  as  they  dubbed  me,  although  some- 
times they  found  the  grass  trodden  down 
where  he  had  been.  Unlike  the  Swiss  peas- 
antry, who  load  with  abuse  any  stranger 
venturing  to  trespass  in  their  fields,  these 
Slavonic  country  folk  seemed  glad  to  have  me 
pluck  flowers  and  pursue  butterflies  wherever 
I  would ;  nay,  they  would  at  times  even  point 
out  places  among  the  rocks  most  easy  of 
access  and  would  assist  in  my  search,  never 
asking  for  money,  accepting  at  most,  with 


136  The  Lonely  House 

many  Slavonic  words  of  thanks,  a  cheap 
cigar.  Scarcely  ever  in  all  rny  travels  have  I 
met  a  peasantry  so  amiable  and  kindly  as 
these  much  slandered  Slavonic  country  folk. 
I  never  heard  a  harsh  word  or  found  a  trace 
of  that  hatred  of  Germans  against  which  I 
had  been  cautioned. 

And  yet  it  was  none  the  less  there  at  the 
bottom  of  all  their  hearts ;  but  it  was  not  for 
the  German  proper,  as  the  Burgomaster  had 
told  me  on  that  first  evening,  but  for  those 
Ukrainers  who  in  a  Slavonic  country  aimed 
at  remaining  faithful  to  Germany.  Of  this 
I  had  daily  proof  in  the  expressions  which  I 
heard  with  regard  to  Franz  Schorn. 

The  young  man  interested  me  greatly  and 
I  took  every  opportunity  to  inform  myself  as 
to  his  circumstances,  his  earlier  life,  and 
everything  regarding  him.  What  I  learned 
was  not  of  a  nature  either  to  weaken  or 
strengthen  my  suspicion,  and,  besides,  I  could 
not  but  acknowledge  to  myself  that  all  the 
sources  from  which  I  could  gain  information 
were  unfit  to  give  me  a  true,  distinct  picture 
of  a  young  fellow  living  in  brooding  seclusion, 
as  it  were,  in  a  community  rife  with  party 


Quiet  Weeks  137 

hatred.  The  Clerk,  the  Captain,  and  the  Bur- 
gomaster were  the  only  men  who  could  suffi- 
ciently rid  themselves  of  prejudice  to  speak 
really  well  of  the  young  man. 

All  acknowledged  that  Franz  Schorn  was 
an  industrious,  capable  farmer,  who  took 
admirable  care  of  the  estate  inherited  from 
his  father;  that  he  was  well  educated,  to  a 
degree  above  his  station;  but  no  praise  was 
accorded  to  his  character;  he  was  said  to  be 
an  obstinate,  sullen  fellow,  ready  for  deeds 
of  violence,  filled  with  party  hatred,  mal- 
treating his  Slavonic  labourers,  covetous  and 
hard-hearted.  He  had  no  pity  for  the  poor; 
his  only  desire  was  to  gain  money  and  in- 
crease his  patrimony,  which  was  the  reason 
why  he  had  cast  his  eye  on  the  rich  and  pretty 
Anna  Pollenz,  not  because  he  loved  her,  but 
from  greed  of  gain.  This  was  the  verdict  of 
his  enemies  concerning  him.  The  Captain  and 
the  Clerk  alone  maintained  that  he  was  a  man 
of  honour,  incapable  of  mean  or  avaricious 
conduct;  that  he  was  reserved  and  defiant, 
willing  to  defend  himself  with  some  violence 
against  all  party  hatred,  and  in  other  re- 
spects the  victim  of  slander  and  low  sus- 


138  The  Lonely  House 

picion.  How  could  I  find  the  truth  in  these 
conflicting  descriptions?  I  pondered  the 
question  in  vain.  It  was  certainly  remark- 
able that  a  handsome,  well-to-do,  educated 
young  man  should  be  so  generally  detested, 
and  it  was  hard  to  believe  that  such  wide- 
spread hatred  was  entirely  without  founda- 
tion. 

I  now  had  many  opportunities  of  observing 
him.  He  came  almost  regularly  every  even- 
ing to  the  Golden  Vine  and  took  the  place 
at  the  round  table  which  the  Clerk  always  re- 
served for  him.  It  seemed  to  me  that  this 
was  done  in  order  to  establish  a  more  kindly 
social  feeling  between  Franz  and  the  rest  of 
the  company  who  nightly  assembled  in  the 
inn.  The  Clerk  evidently  endeavoured  in  the 
kindest  way  to  draw  him  into  the  conversa- 
tion, which  he  knew  how  to  conduct  so  that 
Schorn  would  have  an  opportunity  to  be 
heard  to  the  very  best  advantage  in  display- 
ing his  clear  judgment  and  admirable  intelli- 
gence. 

The  Captain,  the  Burgomaster,  and  the  doc- 
tor aided  the  Clerk  in  his  endeavour  to  estab- 
lish peace  between  Franz  and  the  rest  of  the 


Quiet  Weeks  139 

company,  who,  out  of  regard  for  these  gentle- 
men, became  less  antagonistic,  to  be  sure,  but 
still  remained  decidedly  indifferent.  They 
were  content  to  do  what  was  required  of  them 
socially,  greeting  the  young  man  when  he 
entered,  but  in  conversation  they  avoided  all 
direct  talk  with  him,  and  since  he  addressed 
all  that  he  said  to  the  three  above-named 
members  of  the  party,  he  rarely  exchanged  a 
word  with  the  others.  The  antipathy  exist- 
ing between  Franz  and  the  Judge  was  espe- 
cially observable.  Between  these  two  there 
was  an  insurmountable  barrier  of  profound 
dislike.  They  never  exchanged  either  a  greet- 
ing or  a  word.  Franz  never  even  looked  at 
the  Judge,  although  Herr  Foligno  watched 
him  narrowly. 

As  soon  as  Franz  appeared  among  the 
company  in  the  evening,  the  Judge  fell  silent. 
Even  though  he  might  before  have  talked 
continually,  and  at  times  had  even  attempted 
to  monopolize  the  conversation,  from  the  time 
when  Franz  appeared  he  confined  himself  to 
monosyllables  or  a  word  thrown  in  here  and 
there.  He  listened  to  all  that  was  going  on 
and  with  special  interest  when  the  talk  turned 


140  The  Lonely  House 

upon  the  failure  to  discover  the  perpetrator 
of  the  crime  committed  in  the  Lonely  House. 
At  such  times  his  gaze  would  be  riveted  with 
a  strange  intensity  upon  Franz  Schorn.  No 
word  that  the  young  man  spoke,  no  expression 
of  his  countenance,  escaped  him  then.  It  was 
the  gaze  of  the  serpent  upon  the  bird  which 
he  is  about  to  devour.  This  is  perhaps  an  un- 
suitable simile,  but  it  occurred  to  me  involun- 
tarily as  I  saw  the  Judge  watching  Franz.  I 
knew  his  suspicions  of  the  young  man,  and 
knew  that  he  was  secretly  trying  to  accumu- 
late fresh  grounds  for  it.  I  knew  also  that 
his  desire  was  great  to  gather  from  Franz 
some  word  that  could  be  used  against  him, 
and  I  fervently  thanked  my  Creator  that  after 
going  through  two  terms  as  a  student  of  law, 
I  had  given  up  all  legal  aspirations  and  de- 
voted myself  to  natural  science.  There  is 
something  positively  detestable  to  me  in  the 
thought  of  a  man  like  the  Judge  sacrificing  all 
humanity  in  an  eagerness  to  discover  the 
traces  of  a  crime.  My  discomfort  increased 
from  day  to  day  as  I  observed  the  stealthy 
manner  in  which  he  watched  Franz's  every 
word  and  motion. 


Quiet  Weeks  141 

Sometimes  I  actually  hated  the  Judge,  but 
I  reflected  that  I  had  no  right  to  do  so.  He 
was  simply  fulfilling  the  duty  of  his  office,  and 
probably  such  fulfilment  was  most  obnoxious 
to  him;  he  certainly  had  before  him  a  most 
unpleasant  and  arduous  task. 

As  yet  there  had  been  no  light  thrown  upon 
the  mysterious  crime  in  the  Lonely  House. 
The  necessary  papers  had  been  sent  to  the 
court  at  Laibach,  and  there  the  matter  rested 
for  the  present.  The  investigating  Judge  and 
the  Attorney  General  had  come  to  Luttach  in 
person  to  convince  themselves  that  there  was 
no  trace  of  the  criminal.  The  stolen  bonds 
and  banknotes  had  not  been  found,  and,  in 
fact,  identification  of  these  would  have  been 
impossible,  as  there  had  been  no  registration 
of  them. 

Nor  could  the  minutest  search  among  the 
papers  of  the  murdered  man  give  any  evi- 
dence as  to  the  amount  of  his  property.  The 
Judge  and  the  tradesman  Weber,  each  of 
whom  had  formerly  had  dealings  with  old 
Pollenz  and  occasion  to  speak  with  him  about 
his  money  affairs,  maintained  that  the  old 
man  had  kept  a  list  of  all  bonds  in  his  posses- 


142  The  Lonely  House 

sion,  and  of  his  outstanding  investments,  in 
order  that  he  might  always  be  fully  conscious 
of  the  amount  of  his  wealth,  but  such  a  list 
was  not  among  the  papers  left  behind  by  the 
thief.  The  miserly  old  man  had  speculated 
with  a  kind  of  passion.  He  was  in  corre- 
spondence with  several  bankers  in  Vienna ;  no 
one  could  tell  with  how  many.  These  bankers 
he  commissioned  partly  by  letter  and  partly 
through  a  Luttach  firm  of  tradesmen,  Weber 
&  Meyer,  as  to  the  purchase  and  sale  of  vari- 
ous stocks.  He  excluded  every  one  from  all 
knowledge  of  his  speculations,  and  never  sold 
his  stock  through  the  same  banking  house  that 
had  purchased  it  for  him.  As  no  one  knew 
how  many  banking  houses  he  employed,  it 
seemed  quite  hopeless  to  discover  what  stock 
and  government  bonds  he  had  possessed,  and 
this,  of  course,  diminished  the  chances  of  the 
discovery  of  the  murderer  should  he  attempt 
to  sell  the  papers. 

It  must  have  been  a  really  humiliating 
reflection  for  Herr  Foligno  that  within  his 
district  a  crime  should  have  been  committed 
without  any  possibility  of  the  discovery  of 
the  criminal.  He  might  well  fear  that  those 


Quiet  Weeks  143 

above  him  would  accuse  him  of  a  want  of 
acuteness,  or  of  activity  in  the  performance 
of  his  duties.  His  clear,  excellently  composed 
deposition  had  evidently  not  brought  him  the 
credit  that  it  should  have  done  in  higher 
places.  When  the  two  officials  from  Laibach 
had  made  their  visit  to  Luttach,  they  had  put 
all  their  questions  to  the  Clerk  and  not  to 
himself. 

"Perhaps  I  have  been  wrong,"  he  said  to 
me  after  the  visit  of  the  two  men  from  Lai- 
bach,  "I  ought  to  have  required  you  to  give 
me  a  sworn  report  of  your  encounter  with 
Herr  Franz  Schorn  in  the  forest  near  the 
Lonely  House.  I  thought  of  doing  so,  but  the 
same  feeling  which  forbade  me  to  do  it  upon 
the  first  discovery  of  the  murder  actuated  me 
to-day  and  with  renewed  strength.  Your 
meeting  with  him,  and  the  wound  in  his  hand, 
now  entirely  healed,  are  the  only  grounds  of 
suspicion  against  him,  and  you  yourself 
proved  to  me  how  insignificant  they  are  by 
your  simple  remark  that  I,  too,  might  be  sub- 
jected to  suspicion  from  the  same  causes.  I 
assure  you,  Herr  Professor,  that  I  cannot  be 
sufficiently  grateful  to  you  for  preventing  me 


144  The  Lonely  House 

from  taking  a  step  which  I  might  have  re- 
pented forever.  I  do  not  deny  that  my  sus- 
picion of  the  man  is  even  more  deeply  rooted 
now  than  it  was  then,  but  it  behooves  me  to 
be  all  the  more  strict  with  myself,  for  hitherto 
I  have  discovered  nothing  which  could  justify 
me  in  accusing  the  man  whom,  nevertheless, 
I  detest  profoundly.  Should  I  do  so,  all  the 
world  would  believe  that  I  was  endeavouring 
to  be  rid  of  a  hated  rival." 

I  could  not  but  admit  that  he  was  right. 
Circumstances  were  really  most  unfortunate 
for  him.  The  Lonely  House  deserved  its  name 
now  still  more  than  formerly.  It  was  utterly 
lonely.  After  the  body  of  its  owner  had  been 
interred  in  the  graveyard  of  the  village  of 
Oberberg,  the  Captain  had  closed  it.  Anna 
and  her  old  maid  had  come  to  Luttach;  she 
had  at  last  yielded  to  the  persuasions  of  the 
Captain,  the  Burgomaster,  and  the  doctor, 
and  had  accepted  an  asylum  in  the  doctor's 
house.  A  couple  of  unused  rooms  were  quick- 
ly furnished  for  herself  and  old  Johanna. 
They  did  not  live  there  as  guests  of  the 
owner,  but  as  lodgers.  It  was  only  with  the 
stipulation  that  there  should  be  no  restriction 


Quiet  Weeks  145 

of  her  freedom  that  she  had  yielded  to  the 
wishes  of  her  relatives,  and  the  first  use  which 
she  made  of  this  freedom  was  to  declare  that 
Franz  Schorn  was  her  future  husband,  who 
should  lead  her  to  the  altar  at  the  expiration 
of  her  year  of  mourning.  In  vain  did  the 
Burgomaster,  the  Captain,  and  the  doctor  en- 
treat the  young  girl  to  reserve  for  a  time  such 
a  declaration.  Anna  was  not  to  be  persuaded. 

"It  is  just  because  all  are  against  him;  just 
because  all  seem  to  hate  him  in  spite  of  his 
noble,  lofty  nature,  that  I  will  be  true  to  him. 
I  have  been  betrothed  to  him  for  two  years. 
As  long  as  my  father  lived  I  could  not  declare 
this  boldly  against  his  will,  but  now  I  can 
do  so." 

Anna's  declaration  produced  a  disagree- 
able impression  in  Luttach.  The  little  social 
circle  there  was  greatly  scandalized,  but  even 
the  loudest  scandalmonger  had  to  be  silent, 
since  Anna  with  delicate  tact  avoided  all  occa- 
sion for  calumny.  Her  lover  never  visited 
her ;  her  only  times  for  seeing  him  were  when 
he  was  invited  to  the  house  by  its  owner,  the 
doctor,  who  had  at  first  been  really  provoked 
at  the  girl's  obstinacy,  but  who  now  found  it 
10 


146  The  Lonely  House 

impossible  to  say  enough  of  her  truly  en- 
chanting disposition.  He  had  always  loved 
her,  ever  since  she  had  been  a  little  child,  but 
had  never  dreamed  of  her  becoming  so  charm- 
ing, so  tender  and  caressing.  His  wife,  too, 
was  perfectly  delighted  to  have  the  lovely  girl 
beneath  her  roof.  He  now  comprehended 
perfectly  how  that  stony-hearted  miser,  old 
Pollenz,  had  yielded  to  the  charm  of  this  girl, 
and,  being  quite  unable  to  resist  her,  had  not 
ventured  to  oppose  her  meeting  Franz  be- 
neath the  oak  daily  at  noon,  for  fear  of  her 
forsaking  him  entirely.  But,  docile  and 
amiable  as  Anna  showed  herself  among  her 
relatives  and  friends,  the  Burgomaster,  the 
Captain,  the  doctor  and  his  wife,  she  was 
correspondingly  hard  and  repellent  towards 
the  Judge.  From  the  Captain,  with  whom  I 
had  a  daily  gossip  in  the  early  morning  in 
the  garden,  I  learned  that  Herr  Foligno  still 
entertained  a  foolish  hope  of  conquering  the 
dislike  which  Anna  felt  for  him.  Several 
times  since  she  had  taken  up  her  dwelling  at 
the  doctor's  he  had  made  an  attempt  to 
approach  her,  but  had  always  been  repulsed 
with  signs  of  the  greatest  aversion.  The  Cap- 


Quiet  Weeks  147 

tain  and  the  doctor  had  represented  to  her 
that  she  should  at  least  treat  him  with  con- 
ventional courtesy,  but  she  had  declared  that 
for  him  she  had  no  courteous,  kindly  word; 
she  detested  and  despised  him,  not  only  be- 
cause her  father  had  once  wished  to  force  her 
to  marry  him,  but  because  she  had  a  firm 
conviction  that  he  was  at  heart  a  wicked  man. 
She  would  give  no  grounds  for  this  belief,  but 
she  was  quite  sure  it  was  justified. 

The  Captain  and  the  doctor  must  have  men- 
tioned to  others  Anna's  behaviour  in  this  re- 
spect; it  was  known  throughout  Luttach. 
There  was  much  laughing  gossip  in  the  little 
town  about  the  Judge's  unfortunate  love. 
Every  evening  Mizka  detailed  to  me  some 
town  tattle,  which  was  sure  to  have  for  its 
subject  pretty  Anna  and  her  two  adorers. 
Perhaps  it  was  not  quite  right  that  I  should 
lend  an  ear  to  such  downright  gossip,  but  I  do 
not  deny  that  it  interested  me,  and  I  could  not 
make  up  my  mind  to  interrupt  the  garrulous 
maid  as  she  told  me  of  all  that  was  discussed 
in  the  town. 

Though  I  had  but  very  little  sympathy  for 
the  Judge,  I  felt  rather  sorry  for  him;  he 


148  The  Lonely  House 

apparently  suffered  from  the  unfortunate  cir- 
cumstances in  which  he  was  placed.  He  had 
proved,  too,  that  at  bottom  he  was  not  a  bad 
man  by  the  consideration  which  he  had  shown 
for  his  inveterate  enemy,  against  whom  he 
endeavoured  to  harbour  no  suspicion.  It  was 
most  unfortunate  that  he  should  bestow  his 
affection  upon  a  young  girl  who  detested  him. 
I  could  not  excuse  him  for  continuing  to  sue 
for  her  favour  after  she  had  shown  him  her 
dislike,  and  he  exposed  himself  to  the  ridicule 
of  the  townfolk  and  fell  in  my  esteem  when 
every  evening  he  sought  to  drown  his  woes  by 
drinking  immoderately. 

Nevertheless  I  pitied  him.  To  me  he  was 
all  amiability  and  courtesy.  He  usually  post- 
poned his  midday  meal  until  I  returned  from 
my  excursions  and  could  partake  of  it  with 
him.  He  took  much  interest  in  my  collections, 
particularly  in  my  botanical  treasures,  and 
really  showed,  for  a  layman,  no  little  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject.  If  I  had  lit  upon  some 
rare  plant,  he  would  learn  from  me  its  local- 
ity, and  in  the  afternoon  would  scramble 
about  among  the  rocks  and  boast  to  me  in  the 
evening  as  he  displayed  the  plucked  flowers 


Quiet  Weeks  149 

of  the  result  of  his  labours,  and  that  he  had 
discovered  another  spot  rich  in  such  treas- 
ures. If  on  the  following  morning  I  en- 
deavoured to  find  according  to  his  directions 
the  place  he  had  described,  I  became  aware 
that  it  could  be  attained  only  by  what  was 
almost  dangerous  climbing.  The  ascent  to  a 
place  where  he  told  me  I  should  find  quanti- 
ties of  the  Ophrys  Bertolini  was  so  hazardous 
that  I  might  easily  have  come  to  grief  had  I 
not  been  a  practised  mountaineer.  On  re- 
turning, although  I  strictly  followed  his 
directions,!  could  not  have  rightly  understood 
them,  for  I  entered  a  perfect  labyrinth  of 
dangerous  ravines.  It  was  almost  by  a  mira- 
cle that  at  last  I  found  my  way  out  of  it  and 
succeeded  in  descending  by  an  unused  break- 
neck path. 

Exhausted  beyond  measure  by  such  unex- 
pected exertion,  I  returned  to  Luttach  at  noon 
and  rehearsed  to  the  Judge  the  danger 
through  which  I  had  passed. 

He  replied  with  a  smile,  "You  must  have 
missed  the  path  in  descending  which  I  de- 
scribed to  you.  It  is  not  without  danger,  but 
still  not  very  bad.  I  am  glad,  however,  that 


150  The  Lonely  House 

you  are  now  convinced  of  the  difficulty  which  I 
had  two  weeks  ago  in  plucking  the  Oplirys 
Bertolini.  That  is  the  spot  where  I  found  the 
flowers  that  I  brought  you.  I  still  do  not 
understand  how  you  found  the  charming 
plants  in  a  place  easy  of  access.*' 

So  he  had  sent  me  upon  this  dangerous 
excursion  just  to  rid  himself  of  the  imputa- 
tion of  bragging.  This  was  very  clear.  I 
really  did  not  thank  him  for  it.  I  said  noth- 
ing, but  determined  in  future  not  to  explore 
any  of  his  wonderful  localities.  I  am  not  such 
a  passionate  enthusiast  for  botany  as  to  ex- 
pose myself,  for  the  sake  of  a  beautiful  flower, 
to  the  risk  of  breaking  my  neck. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

AN  EXPLORING  PAKTY. 

ONE  evening  there  was  so  full  an  assembly 
round  the  table  in  the  inn  that  all  the  gentle- 
men with  whom  I  had  become  acquainted  in 
Luttach  were  present,  with  the  exception  of 
Franz  Schorn.  He,  as  the  Burgomaster  told 
us,  had  driven  in  the  early  morning  to  Gorz 
to  bring  thence  some  expensive  agricultural 
machines  which  he  wished  to  employ  on  his 
farm.  He  had  promised  the  Burgomaster  to 
come  to  the  inn  late  in  the  evening  to  give  an 
account  of  his  purchases,  and  he  was  expected 
to  appear  any  minute. 

Since  the  young  man  had  of  late  been  a 
constant  attendant  at  the  round  table,  the 
conversation  which  had  formerly  been  quite 
lively  with  regard  to  him  had  ceased.  It  was 
all  the  more  lively  on  this  evening,  and  the 
subject  of  it  was  the  purchases  he  had  gone 
to  Gorz  to  make.  Several  of  the  men  present 
were  the  owners  of  large  estates.  They  at 
least  knew  something  of  agriculture,  and  yet 

[151] 


152  The  Lonely  House 

they  were  the  very  ones  who  expressed  them- 
selves as  disapproving  of  the  novelties  which 
Franz  was  trying  to  introduce. 

"He  is  always  endeavouring  to  use  some- 
thing new-fangled  and  peculiar,"  Herr  Gun- 
ther,  one  of  the  richest  of  the  land-owners  in 
the  county,  declared.  "These  machines  are 
probably  useful  enough  in  Germany,  in  coun- 
tries where  labour  is  perhaps  very  expensive, 
but  they  do  not  suit  us  here,  where  they  are  a 
ruinous  innovation.  We  have  so  many  poor 
people  about  us  who  want  work,  that  it  is  a 
positive  crime  to  deprive  them  of  it  by  the  use 
of  machinery. ' ' 

"That  is  just  why  Schorn  buys  the  ma- 
chines," another  interposed,  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Mosic.  "He  hates  our  poor  Slavonic 
labourers  and  would  like  to  be  independent  of 
them.  He  has  probably  heard  that  many  of 
our  best  labourers  have  combined  against 
him  and  will  not  work  for  the  German.  Where 
does  he  get  the  money  he  is  spending  upon 
such  expensive  machines?" 

"The  harvests  for  several  years  have  not 
been  so  plentiful  as  to  enable  a  farmer  to 
accumulate  much  cash,"  said  another. 


An  Exploring  Party  153 

"Perhaps  he  buys  on  credit,"  said  the 
notary,  Dietrich. 

"Not  at  all,"  rejoined  the  merchant, Meyer. 
"I  have  often  offered  him  credit,  but  he  has 
never  accepted  it.  'What  I  cannot  buy  with 
ready  money  I  will  go  without ;  I  will  not  bur- 
den myself  with  debt,'  has  always  been  his 
reply  to  me." 

"He  does  not  need  to  do  so;  he  is  always 
economical,  and  has  money  enough,"  re- 
marked the  shopkeeper,  Weber.  "As  he  was 
paying  me  yesterday  for  his  clover  seed,  I  saw 
that  his  pocket-book  contained  a  roll  of  hun- 
dred-gulden notes." 

"He  has  certainly  spent  a  deal  of  money 
lately ;  he  has  purchased  two  splendid  horses, 
and  they  were  really  not  necessary,  for  the 
two  which  he  gave  in  part  payment  to 
Schmelzigsohn  were  good  enough.  He  is 
squandering  money  at  present.  People  whis- 
per queer  things  of  him.  In  fact,  they  are 
beginning  to  whisper  no  longer,  but  to  talk 
loudly,  and  before  long  what  they  say  will 
be  proclaimed  in  the  market  place. ' ' 

"It  certainly  is  strange  that  Schorn  has  so 
much  money  at  his  command.  Before  old 


154  The  Lonely  House 

Pollenz  was  murdered  he  seemed  to  have  very 
little." 

For  an  instant  profound  silence  followed 
the  last  remark  of  Mosic 's.  A  strange  ex- 
pression spread  over  the  countenances  of 
those  present.  The  innuendo  in  the  words 
just  spoken  made  a  most  painful  impression 
upon  all.  The  Clerk  was  the  first  to  recover 
himself.  With  an  angry  look  at  Mosic,  he 
said  in  a  tone  of  harsh  reproof: 

"How  dare  you,  Herr  Mosic,  utter  such  an 
accusation  against  an  absent  member  of  our 
circle?  I  shall  inform  Herr  Schorn  of  what 
you  have  said  that  he  may  call  you  to  account 
for  it." 

Herr  Mosic  changed  color. 

"Oh,  pardon  me,  sir,"  he  said,  and  his  voice 
trembled;  "you  entirely  misunderstood  me.  I 
have  no  idea  of  uttering  an  accusation  against 
Herr  Schorn.  I  only  repeated  the  stupid  talk 
of  the  townsfolk.  Of  course  I  attach  no  im- 
portance to  it ;  it  is  not  my  fault  if  people  will 
talk." 

"You  ought  not  to  repeat  such  nonsensical 
gossip,"  the  Clerk  said  angrily. 

Hitherto  the  Judge  had  taken  no  part  in 


An  Exploring  Party  155 

the  conversation.  He  had  sat  silent  drinking 
glass  after  glass  of  wine,  but  now  he  turned 
to  the  Clerk,  and  in  a  very  odd  tone  said,  with 
a  glance  toward  me: 

"You  judge  rather  hastily,  sir;  you  should 
remember  that  the  voice  of  the  people  is  the 
voice  of  God." 

"Pardon  me,  Judge,"  cried  the  doctor; 
"in  this  case  the  despicable  gossip  is  the 
voice  of  the  devil ;  no  honest  man  should  re- 
peat or  defend  it." 

"So  say  I.  'Tis  a  cowardly,  unworthy 
accusation ! ' '  exclaimed  the  Captain,  and  the 
Burgomaster  nodded  assent.  "Franz  is  a 
rough,  morose  fellow,  but  a  man  of  honour 
through  and  through,  incapable  of  commit- 
ting a  crime. ' ' 

"Besides,"  added  the  doctor,  "very  little 
understanding  is  necessary  to  perceive  that 
he  never  could  have  committed  the  murder. 
Even  if  he  had  been  a  hard-hearted  wretch 
quite  capable  of  it,  no  suspicion  of  this  crime 
could  attach  to  him. ' ' 

' '  Indeed ! ' '  said  the  Judge,  contemptuously ; 
"I  really  am  curious  to  learn  why  no  possible 
suspicion  in  this  case  could  attach  to  Schorn." 


156  The  Lonely  House 

"Upon  my  word,  it  is  sad  to  think  that  I,  an 
old  doctor,  understanding  nothing  of  criminal 
law,  should  have  to  instruct  a  learned  Judge 
as  to  what  his  simple,  sound,  good  sense 
should  teach  him,  but  since  it  is  so,  since  such 
ridiculous  gossip  has  found  no  one  in  this 
circle  to  expose  it  as  such,  it  must  be.  The 
murderer  was  certainly  a  man  with  whom  old 
Pollenz  was  very  intimate;  Franz  he  hated 
like  sin  and  held  him  to  be  his  mortal  enemy. 

"When  little  Anna  went  to  Luttach  with 
old  Johanna,  her  father  locked  the  front  door 
behind  them,  and,  as  always  when  resting  at 
noon,  withdrew  to  his  own  room  and  bolted 
himself  in.  Whoever  wished  to  enter  the 
house  or  to  see  its  owner  would  be  obliged 
either  to  break  down  the  door  or  be  admitted 
by  old  Pollenz  himself.  Now,  no  sensible 
human  being  could  believe  that  the  old  man 
would  have  opened  his  door  for  Schorn,  to 
allow  himself  to  be  murdered — for  Franz 
Schorn,  of  whom  he  was  afraid,  of  whom  he 
always  said, '  Schorn  will  kill  me  one  of  these 
days/  He  would  have  drawn  a  double  bolt  on 
every. door  if  Franz  had  asked  for  admit- 


An  Exploring  Party  157 

tance,  but  on  this  occasion  he  drew  back  the 
bolt  and  opened  the  door.  There  is  no  trace 
of  any  violence  used  in  opening  it,  and  a 
bolted  door  cannot  be  opened  unless  from 
within,  or  with  violence ;  therefore  I  maintain 
that  the  murderer  must  have  been  an  intimate 
friend  of  old  Pollenz,  and  in  no  case  can  the 
slightest  suspicion  attach  to  Franz  Schorn.  I 
think  I  have  now  proved  this  clearly. ' ' 

"Clear  as  sunlight;  the  legal  profession 
loses  a  shining  light  in  you,  doctor,"  the 
Judge  rejoined,  his  thin  lips  curled  in  a 
contemptuous  smile.  "After  your  lucid  de- 
fense," he  continued,  "it  seems  to  me  incum- 
bent upon  us  all  to  say  not  one  word  to  Franz 
Schorn  of  our  previous  conversation;  he 
would  surely  be  deeply  offended  and  insulted 
if  he  could  believe  that  any  one  of  us  enter- 
tained the  smallest  doubt  of  his  innocence. 
We  must  take  it  upon  ourselves  to  discounte- 
nance the  town  gossip  wherever  we  hear  it, 
always  taking  care  that  the  young  man  learns 
nothing  of  the  rumours  concerning  him.  The 
object  of  such  rumours  can  never  combat  them 
himself.  Should  he  try  to  do  so,  it  would  but 
strengthen  belief  in  them;  but  we  can  have 


158  The  Lonely  House 

many  opportunities  to  silence  slander.  I 
hope  you  all  agree  with  me,  gentlemen. ' ' 

All  agreed.  The  doctor  offered  the  Judge 
his  hand  in  token  of  acknowledgment,  and 
said  with  a  kindly  nod : 

"You  are  a  good  fellow,  after  all,  Judge, 
and  I  beg  your  pardon.  It  is  fine  of  you  to 
stand  up  so  bravely  for  Franz,  although  you 
cannot  endure  him.  I  will  not  forget  it  of 
you." 

That  the  Judge's  words  had  produced  their 
effect  upon  all  present,  even  upon  those  most 
opposed  to  Schorn,  was  evident  when  the 
young  man  soon  afterward  entered  the  room ; 
he  was  received  with  more  cordiality  and 
kindness  than  ever  before;  it  really  seemed 
as  if  Herr  Gunther  and  Herr  Mosic  were 
trying  by  their  courtesy  to  atone  for  the 
words  spoken  in  his  absence. 

Franz  was  so  pleasantly  surprised  by  this 
friendly  reception  that  he  became  far  more 
amiable  and  genial  than  ever  before.  At  the 
Burgomaster's  request,  he  explained  the  new 
machines  which  he  had  bought  in  Gorz  and 
the  use  to  which  he  intended  to  put  them,  not 
only  for  his  own  advantage,  but  hoping  to  im- 


An  Exploring  Party  159 

prove  the  agriculture  of  the  entire  Luttach 
valley  by  introducing  them  generally. 

This  excited  a  little  war  of  words  between 
him  and  the  two  land-owners,  who  declared 
themselves  opposed  to  the  introduction  of 
new  methods,  but  their  opposition  was  ex- 
pressed with  so  much  moderation  that  Franz 
could  not  take  offense. 

And  the  Captain,  who,  as  a  good  Conserva- 
tive, was  strongly  opposed  to  the  introduction 
of  machinery  in  agricultural  operations,  sided 
with  theJand-owners. 

"You  mean  well,  Franz,"  he  said;  "you 
would  like  to  increase  the  prosperity  of  our 
valley ;  but  with  your  cursed  innovations  you 
put  the  cart  before  the  horse.  You  will  never 
improve  the  labourer's  condition  by  de- 
priving him  of  his  means  of  subsistence. ' ' 

"These  machines  will  not  deprive  the  la- 
bourer of  his  work.  On  the  contrary,  they 
will  give  him  an  opportunity  of  working  more 
effectually  than  has  been  possible  for  him 
hitherto.  A  more  thorough  cultivation  of  our 
fields  and  vineyards  will  create  a  fresh  de- 
mand of  labour,  which  will  be  better  paid 
than  ever." 


160  The  Lonely  House 

''Dreams,  dreams,  in  which  I  have  no 
faith, ' '  replied  the  Captain.  ' '  The  manufac- 
turers of  these  machines  and  the  people  who 
sell  them  have  started  these  tales.  "When  a 
machine  undertakes  the  labour  hitherto  per- 
formed by  man,  the  man  sinks  to  the  ma- 
chine's level.  In  all  great  manufacturing 
towns  the  labouring  class,  with  very  few  ex- 
ceptions, is  poverty-stricken  and  starving. 
Don't  tell  me  of  such  innovations.  We  should 
count  ourselves  happy  that  here  in  the  coun- 
try we  have  hitherto  been  free  from  machin- 
ery." 

"Nevertheless,  perhaps  because  of  this,  our 
labourers  here  suffer  the  bitterest  poverty." 

"That  is  because  the  last  few  years  have 
been  poor  ones.  If  the  peasant's  harvest  fails 
and  the  vineyards  do  not  flourish,  the  labourer 
can  earn  nothing.  Your  machines  cannot 
improve  his  condition ;  they  can  only  make  it 
worse.  The  Herr  Professor  has  given  me  an 
idea  of  what  would  improve  the  condition  of 
our  people  here  more  than  ought  else." 

I  gazed  at  the  Captain  in  surprise.  I  did 
not  remember  that  I  had  ever  said  a  word  to 
him  about  the  poverty  of  the  labouring  class 


An  Exploring  Party  161 

in  the  Luttach  valley,  or  had  ever  mentioned 
any  means  whatever  of  improving  their  con- 
dition. He  nodded  to  me  with  a  gentle  smile, 
and  then  continued : 

"Yes,  yes,  Herr  Professor,  you  do  not  re- 
call how  on  the  very  first  morning  after  your 
arrival  among  us  we  had  a  conversation 
which  I  remember  well.  Our  valley  should  be 
opened  to  tourists;  we  are  situated  just  be- 
tween two  important  railways,  not  more  than 
a  league  distant  from  each ;  we  could  be  vis- 
ited with  the  greatest  facility,  and  where 
tourists  are  gathered  together  money  is  sure 
to  circulate ;  all  will  be  the  gainers ;  the  inns, 
the  tradesfolk,  those  owning  horses,  who  will 
hire  out  carriages ;  the  laundresses,  and  even 
the  labourers,  who  will  be  employed  either  as 
drivers  or  as  guides  for  excursions  among  the 
mountains. ' ' 

"What  talk  is  this,  old  friend!"  the  Burgo- 
master interrupted  him  with  a  laugh.  ' '  What 
have  we  here  to  attract  tourists?  They  can 
make  the  ascent  of  Nanos  very  easily  from 
Prayvalt,  and  our  valley  has  really  nothing 
more  to  show.  It  is  quite  wonderful  that  a 
naturalist,  our  Herr  Professor,  should  have 
11 


162  The  Lonely  House 

visited  us.  Certainly  none  of  those  who  travel 
for  pleasure  would  ever  contemplate  coming 
hither." 

"Therefore  we  must  try  to  find  something 
that  will  attract  them.  The  Herr  Professor 
called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  we  live  on 
from  day  to  day  without  regard  to  our  ignor- 
ance as  to  whether  we  do  not  possess  a 
greater  attraction  for  travellers  than  the 
Adelsberg  Grotto.  Does  any  one  of  us  here 
present  know  how  extensive  are  the  caves 
which  we  possess,  and  whether  they  may  not 
perhaps  be  finer  than  the  grotto  at  Adelsberg? 
The  only  one  among  us  who  has  interested 
himself  about  them  is,  if  I  do  not  mistake, 
Franz  Schorn,  and  he  has  done  very  little  in 
the  way  of  exploration.  How  is  it,  Franz; 
am  I  not  right!" 

"It  is  true  that  I  have  done  very  little  in 
the  way  of  exploration.  I  penetrated  furthest 
into  the  cave  in  the  grove  of  the  Rusina.  It 
is  a  laborious  piece  of  work.  I  lost  all  desire 
to  penetrate  further;  it  seemed  useless." 

"The  Herr  Professor  thinks  differently. 
Do  you  still  desire  to  attempt  to  explore  one 
of  these  caves,  Herr  Professor!  I  was 


An  Exploring  Party  163 

anxious  to  offer  you  my  assistance  in  so 
doing  some  time  ago,  but  this  horrible  murder 
has  occupied  our  minds  to  the  exclusion  of 
every  other  thought." 

The  Captain's  proposal  was  very  welcome 
to  me.  In  my  excursion  on  the  forenoon  of 
this  very  day  I  had  gazed  with  much  interest 
in  the  grove  of  the  Rusina,  at  the  dark  open- 
ing among  gigantic  blocks  of  granite.  I  had 
an  intense  desire  to  explore  it,  but  prudence 
called  a  halt.  Overheated  as  I  was  in  climb- 
ing about  the  mountains,  I  would  not  expose 
myself  to  the  danger  to  which  the  cold,  damp 
interior  of  the  cave  would  expose  me,  and, 
besides,  it  would  have  been  very  foolish  to 
attempt  any  exploration  without  companions, 
for  the  slightest  slip  might  prove  fatal.  No 
one  would  ever  have  looked  for  me  in  the 
cave ;  if  not  killed,  I  might  have  starved  be- 
fore I  was  discovered. 

Such  considerations  at  the  time  forbade 
gratifying  my  desire  to  explore  the  cave,  but 
it  awoke  again  within  me  at  the  Captain's 
offer;  it  pleased  me  that  it  should  be  so  en- 
tirely voluntary.  I  thanked  him  and  declared 
that  I  would  gladly  take  part  in  an  explora- 


164  The  Lonely  House 

tion  of  the  cave  whenever  he  should  ar- 
range it. 

"Bravo !  Then  let  us  set  to  work  early  to- 
morrow morning  and  begin  with  the  cave  in 
the  grove  of  the  Rusina.  You  will  join  us, 
Franz!" 

* i  Gladly.  I  only  fear  that  we  shall  not  get 
far.  There  is  a  deep  abyss  not  many  yards 
from  the  entrance." 

"How  deep  is  it?" 

"I  do  not  know.  I  threw  a  lighted  match 
into  it,  but  it  was  quickly  extinguished;  and 
a  stone  which  I  cast  down  soon  struck  some 
rock  and  I  could  not  see  where  it  lay.  I  took 
no  pains  to  explore  further." 

* '  Then  we  will  try  to  do  so  to-morrow.  Let 
us  take  with  us  a  couple  of  sturdy  fellows, 
who  can  carry  torches,  some  lanterns  and  a 
sufficient  length  of  strong  rope,  with  perhaps 
a  ladder  or  two.  I  will  take  with  me  some 
magnesium  wire,  which  will  give  us  a  brilliant 
light  in  the  depths. ' ' 

Franz  agreed.  We  discussed  the  interest- 
ing expedition  further,  and  decided  that  we 
would  start  at  seven  o'clock  the  next  morning. 

"May  I  make  one  of  your  party?"  the 


An  Exploring  Party  165 

Judge  asked,  when  we  had  completed  our 
arrangements.  Franz  Schorn  started  and  re- 
garded the  speaker  with  a  searching  glance. 
Evidently  he  was  about  to  refuse  decidedly, 
but  thought  better  of  it,  bit  his  lip,  and,  with 
a  slight  gesture  of  his  hand,  referred  the 
matter  to  me.  I  cannot  say  that  the  proposal 
was  agreeable  to  me.  I  was  surprised  that 
the  Judge  should  be  willing  to  take  part  in  an 
expedition  to  which  Franz  Schorn  was,  to  a 
certain  degree,  the  guide.  I  feared  some  un- 
pleasant encounter  between  the  two  men  and 
I  should  have  liked  to  refuse.  This,  however, 
courtesy  forbade.  The  Judge  had  always  been 
so  amiable  and  obliging  in  his  behaviour  to 
me  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  decline 
his  company. 

He  noticed  that  I  hesitated  a  moment,  and, 
probably  guessing  whence  such  hesitation 
proceeded,  continued  with  a  smiling  look  at 
Franz  Schorn : 

,  "I  am  very  much  interested  in  our  Ukraine 
caves,  and  I  have  already  visited  a  number  of 
them.  The  cave  in  the  grove  of  the  Eusina  is 
not  unfamiliar  to  me.  I  have  not  explored  it 
to  the  extent  of  which  Herr  Schorn  tells  us, 


166  The  Lonely  House 

but  I  am  familiar  with  the  entrance  and  would 
like  to  penetrate  its  depths.  Of  course,  I  vol- 
untarily acquiesce  in  the  intelligent  guidance 
of  Herr  Schorn,  who  will  take  command  of 
our  expedition.  You  would  oblige  me  very 
much,  Herr  Professor,  by  your  permission  to 
accompany  you." 

I  could  not  but  accord  it.  It  was  impossible 
to  do  otherwise.  The  Judge  thanked  me,  as 
he  did  Schorn  and  the  Captain,  so  courteously 
that  I  was  half  inclined  to  suspect  his  sin- 
cerity. The  prospect  of  this  expedition 
seemed  to  delight  him.  He  suddenly  became 
talkative  and  showed  an  uncommon  amiabil- 
ity to  Schorn,  although  the  young  man  met 
his  advances  with  monosyllabic  replies.  His 
attempt  to  make  himself  acceptable  to  him 
was  not  happy;  his  cheerfulness  seemed 
forced;  his  friendliness  assumed;  his  gaiety 
feverish.  In  his  usual  attitude  at  the  table, 
looking  gloomily  into  his  wineglass,  he  im- 
pressed me  very  unfavourably,  but  to-day, 
when  he  was  talkative  and  gay,  I  was  still 
more  unfavourably  impressed. 

I  had  a  very  strange  feeling  with  regard  to 
the  Judge.  I  could  not  but  acknowledge  that 


An  Exploring  Party  167 

lie  was  a  good,  honourable  man.  He  had 
shown  this  abundantly ;  but  I  felt  a  vague,  in- 
stinctive aversion  to  him,  which,  however  I 
struggled  against  it,  increased  the  more  I 
knew  him. 

I  was  uncomfortable  in  his  society  that 
evening;  therefore  I  rose  from  my  place 
earlier  than  usual  and  called  Mizka  to  light 
me  to  my  room.  To  my  surprise,  the  Judge 
followed  my  example,  although  he  had  just 
ordered  another  measure  of  wine. 

"I  will  go  with  you,  Herr  Professor,"  he 
said,  and  he  accompanied  me  without  drink- 
ing his  wine.  "  To-morrow,  then,  at  seven 
o'clock,  Herr  Schorn." 

As  he  spoke  he  offered  his  hand  to  Schorn, 
but  the  young  man  ignored  it. 

"It  is  to  the  Herr  Professor  or  to  the  Cap- 
tain that  you  owe  permission  to  accompany 
us,"  Schorn  said,  with  cool  contempt.  "I 
have  not  agreed  to  it.  You  and  I  have  noth- 
ing in  common." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  wrong,  Herr  Schorn.  I 
may  convince  you  of  this  to-morrow.  I  will- 
ingly submit  myself  to  your  guidance.  Good- 
night." 


168  The  Lonely  House 

His  features  wore  a  detestable  sneer  as  he 
littered  these  words,  and,  bowing  to  the  rest 
of  the  company,  he  followed  me. 

Upstairs  on  the  landing  I  would  have  bid- 
den him  good-night,  but  he  said : 

"I  followed  you,  Herr  Professor,  because  I 
want  to  speak  a  few  words  with  you  alone. 
Allow  me  to  go  into  your  room  with  you. 
I'll  not  detain  you  long." 

Of  course  I  invited  him  to  enter  and  to  take 
a  place  on  the  old  straight-backed  sofa,  curi- 
ous to  learn  what  he  could  have  to  say  to  me. 
When  Mizka,  after  having  lighted  the  candles, 
left  the  room,  he  sprang  up,  went  to  the  door 
and  opened  it  to  convince  himself  that  she 
was  not  listening,  and  then  opened  the  door 
leading  to  the  adjoining  room  to  make  sure 
that  no  one  was  there.  Then  he  returned  to 
me,  and  in  a  voice  trembling  with  agitation 
said: 

"I  pray  you,  Herr  Professor,  to  give  me  at 
once,  now,  your  report  of  meeting  Franz 
Schorn  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Lonely 
House." 

I  was  startled.  I  had  not  expected  this 
demand.  Surprise  made  me  speechless  for 


An  Exploring  Party  169 

a  moment.  I  could  only  ejaculate  "Herr 
Foligno!" 

"I  understand  your  surprise,  your  dis- 
may, ' '  he  continued.  ' '  Believe  me,  it  has  cost 
me  a  struggle  to  resolve  to  make  this  request, 
but  it  must  be.  I  may  have  neglected  my  duty 
in  postponing  it  so  long.  Now,  when  my  sus- 
picions have  become  almost  a  certainty,  I  can 
wait  no  longer.  I  am  compelled  to  collect  all 
the  grounds  for  it  that  I  possess,  and  among 
them  belongs  your  meeting  with  him  near  the 
Lonely  House.  The  paper  must  be  sent  to 
the  Attorney  General  at  Laibach.  It  must  be, 
Herr  Professor;  you  cannot  refuse  me. 
Every  man  of  honour  is  bound  to  support  the 
authorities  in  the  investigation  of  crime.  You 
could  not  wish  to  shield  a  criminal  from  the 
rigour  of  the  law. ' ' 

"Most  certainly  not;  but  I  am  more  than 
firmly  convinced  that  Franz  Schorn  is  no 
murderer.  You  yourself,  scarcely  an  hour 
ago,  admitted  the  proofs  of  his  innocence 
adduced  by  the  doctor. ' ' 

"Did  you  not  perceive  that  my  words  were 
ironical?  I  was  obliged  to  change  the  subject 
of  the  conversation.  Franz  Schorn  must  not 


170  The  Lonely  House 

be  warned  by  his  friends.  He  must  believe 
himself  safe  from  discovery,  or  he  will  betake 
himself  to  flight,  for  which  the  money  gained 
by  his  crime  gives  him  abundant  opportunity. 
Trieste  is  not  far  off,  and  a  guide  thither  is 
quickly  found.  I  was  obliged  to  conceal  from 
him  the  knowledge  that  I  have  discovered  his 
crime.  I  put  force  upon  myself  to  control  my 
abhorrence  of  him.  This  very  night  I  must 
complete  the  full  report  showing  forth  all  the 
evidence  against  him,  and  in  this  I  must  in- 
clude your  meeting  with  him  near  the  Lonely 
House.  An  official  will  take  the  paper  to 
Laibach  and  deliver  it  in  person;  then  the 
Attorney  General  must  decide  whether  the 
evidence  it  contains  be  sufficient  to  warrant 
Schorn's  arrest.  I  am  myself  perfectly  con- 
vinced of  his  guilt.  I  ought  perhaps  to  arrest 
him  on  my  own  responsibility,  but  I  will  not 
expose  myself  to  the  reproach  of  acting  from 
personal  hostility.  I  shall  watch  him  nar- 
rowly to  prevent  his  flight,  and  therefore  I 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  join  your  cave  explo- 
ration. His  arrest  I  will  leave  to  the  Attorney 
General  in  Laibach.  Thus  I  have  explained  to 
you  frankly  the  grounds  for  my  action,  and  I 


An  Exploring  Party  171 

pray  you  to  give  me  the  report  for  the  proto- 
col, which  you  promised  me  a  week  ago.  This 
report  should  consist,  in  order  to  save  your- 
self and  myself  unpleasant  after  inquiries, 
of  the  declaration  that  to  your  meeting 
with  Schorn  you  attached  no  importance 
in  the  beginning,  but  since  you  have  learned 
that  the  voice  of  the  people  pronounce  him 
the  murderer  you  hold  it  to  be  your  duty  to 
mention  seeing  him  in  the  forest.  You  might 
add  that  you  hold  this  meeting  to  be  of  no 
importance  and  that  you  are  most  unwilling 
to  arouse  a  suspicion  of  the  young  man,  but 
that,  nevertheless,  you  feel  it  your  duty  to 
tell  of  your  encounter  with  him.  I  think  such 
a  report  cannot  outrage  your  sense  of 
justice." 

"It  does  not  accord  with  my  sense  of 
justice  to  admit  a  suspicion  which  I  think 
false.  If  I  make  my  report  now,  it  will  look 
as  though  I  shared  this  suspicion.  The  Attor- 
ney General  would  so  interpret  it,  even 
though  I  declared  the  contrary.  I  ought  to 
have  made  the  report  immediately  after  the 
discovery  of  the  murder.  You  prevented  my 
doing  so  then,  and  now  I  will  not  make  it  until 


172  The  Lonely  House 

I  see  at  least  the  possibility  of  other  grounds 
for  it." 

"It  is  the  duty  of  the  Attorney  General, not 
yourself,  to  judge  of  the  importance  of  your 
evidence, ' '  Herr  Foligno  replied  sternly.  ' '  It 
is  the  duty  of  the  private  individual  to  impart 
to  the  proper  authorities  every  circumstance 
that  may  be  connected  with  a  crime.  Of 
course  you  know  that." 

"It  is  not  his  duty,"  I  said  angrily,  "if  his 
inmost  conviction  is  that  the  circumstance  he 
relates  has  no  connection  whatever  with  the 
crime,  although  it  may  serve  to  arouse  sus- 
picion. If  what  you  maintain  be  correct,  I 
ought  also  to  advise  the  Attorney  General 
that  you  yourself  were  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  Lonely  House  on  that  morning  and  that 
I  found  your  pocket  handkerchief  where  you 
had  been  plucking  Oplirys  Bertolini." 

Herr  Foligno  shot  such  a  look  of  rage  at  me 
from  beneath  his  black  brows  that  I  started  in 
terror.  I  had  no  idea  of  affecting  him  so 
deeply  by  my  words.  In  a  voice  trembling 
with  anger,  which  he  vainly  strove  to  control, 
he  said : 

' '  Then  you  would  tell  the  Attorney  General 


An  Exploring  Party  173 

a  falsehood  I  have  told  you  that  I  did  not 
pluck  the  flowers  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Lonely  House,  but  at  a  great  distance  from 
it,  and  in  a  spot  difficult  to  find,  and  that  my 
handkerchief  was  by  accident  where  you 
picked  it  up.  Is  it  possible  that  you  do  not 
believe  me,  although  I  have  told  you  all  this 
distinctly?" 

He  probably  read  in  my  face  that  I  was  not 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  this  statement,  for 
he  continued  in  a  sharp,  angry  tone : 

' l  You  doubt,  in  spite  of  my  words.  Perhaps 
you  entertain  the  possibility  of  my  having 
some  connection  with  the  crime — 

"What  folly,  Herr  Foligno!"  I  cried,  in- 
terrupting him.  "I  mentioned  you  and  your 
pocket  handkerchief  only  to  contradict  your 
assertion  that  it  was  my  duty  to  tell  of  an 
insignificant  experience.  If  I  ought  to  report 
having  seen  Franz  Schorn  near  the  Lonely 
House,  I  also  ought  to  report  the  finding  of 
your  handkerchief  under  the  same  circum- 
stances." 

"If  you  really  consider  this  your  duty,  I 
shall  not  gainsay  you, ' '  he  replied  darkly,  not 
lifting  his  eyes  from  the  ground.  "It  is  no 


174  The  Lonely  House 

affair  of  mine.  My  task  is  to  send  this  very 
night  my  deposition,  containing  an  account  of 
your  meeting  with  Franz  Schorn,  to  the 
proper  authorities  either  with  or  against  your 
consent.  I  may  find  myself  in  a  very  unpleas- 
ant position  and  even  imperil  my  office  when 
I  relate  that  I  myself  advised  you  to  withhold 
your  report  concerning  Schorn,  but  personal 
considerations  must  yield  to  my  sense  of  duty. 
I  had  thought,  Herr  Professor,"  he  continued, 
in  a  more  friendly  tone,  finding  me  still  silent, 
"that  you  would  not  willingly  thus  embarrass 
me.  Believe  me,  I  would  not  so  insist  upon 
your  evidence  were  I  not  thoroughly  and 
firmly  convinced  of  the  young  man's  guilt. 
To  show  you  how  highly  I  esteem  you,  what 
implicit  confidence  I  place  in  your  honour  and 
silence,  I  will  tell  you,  although  scarcely  war- 
ranted in  so  doing,  of  the  results  of  my  labo- 
rious investigations  during  the  last  few 
weeks.  You  yourself  will  then  be  convinced 
of  your  duty.  It  is  a  hard  task  for  me  to 
make  these  revelations  to  you,  for  not  only  do 
they  militate  against  Franz  Schorn,  but 
against  one  who  has  been  very  dear  to  my 
heart,  and  for  whom  to-day,  in  spite  of  my 


An  Exploring  Party  175 

better  judgment,  I  feel  warm  affection ;  but  it 
must  be ;  you  shall  hear  all. ' ' 

"Proceed;  you  may  rely  upon  my  discre- 
tion." 

I  waited  for  what  he  had  to  say  with  in- 
tense eagerness.  For  a  few  moments  he  sat 
silent,  with  downcast  looks;  then  he  began, 
not  once  looking  at  me  as  he  spoke : 

"It  is  difficult  to  indicate  the  precise 
moment  at  which  suspicions  of  Schorn  were 
aroused  within  me.  You  yourself  know  of  his 
bitter  enmity  towards  old  Pollenz,  whose 
death  he  could  not  but  desire,  since  it  alone 
would  bring  him  the  fulfilment  of  his  dearest 
wish.  You  know  of  his  being  near  the  Lonely 
House  immediately  after  the  murder.  You 
know  also  of  the  wound  in  his  hand,  to  ac- 
count for  which  he  told  of  having  grasped  a 
double-edged  knife  as  it  fell  from  where  he 
had  left  it.  His  reluctance  to  show  the  wound 
to  the  doctor,  and,  more  than  all  else,  his 
sudden  accession  of  wealth  after  the  crime, 
accuses  him  loudly.  He  has  made  purchases 
which  would  have  been  impossible  with  his 
own  unassisted  means.  All  these  grounds  of 
suspicion  the  doctor  thought  to  annihilate  by 


176  The  Lonely  House 

his  acute  reasoning,  showing  that  old  Pollenz 
himself  could  not  possibly  have  admitted 
Schorn  and  that  the  murderer  had  evidently 
entered  the  house  without  any  violent  break- 
ing in  of  the  door.  How  is  this  to  be  ac- 
counted for  1  Unfortunately,  the  explanation 
is  only  too  clear.  Fraulein  Anna  Pollenz, 
when  officially  examined,  as  well  as  in  her 
words  to  the  Captain  and  to  the  doctor,  por- 
trayed a  life  in  her  father's  house  absolutely 
opposed  to  reality.  She  maintained  that  her 
father  loved  her  most  tenderly ;  that  he  was 
always  kind  and  gentle  to  her,  and  that  even 
her  connection  with  the  hated  Schorn  and  her 
refusal  to  give  me  her  hand  had  produced  no 
change  in  his  demeanour  toward  her.  Anna 's 
words  were  universally  believed.  Who  could 
doubt  who  looked  into  her  eyes  and  acknowl- 
edged their  spell?  To  see  her  is  to  love  her. 
She  wins  all  hearts  at  once.  Every  one  be- 
lieves her;  every  one  trusts  her;  and  never- 
theless every  word  that  she  spoke  is  false. 
For  years  the  Lonely  House  has  witnessed 
terrible  scenes  between  father  and  daughter. 
The  old  man  abused  the  lovely  child  outrage- 
ously because  she  would  not  obey  him.  Un- 


An  Exploring  Party  177 

fortunately  I  myself  was  often  the  cause  of 
this  abuse,  although  I  declared  continually 
to  old  Pollenz  that  I  never  would  claim 
Anna's  hand  unless  she  bestowed  it  upon  me 
voluntarily;  unless  I  succeeded  in  winning 
the  young  girl's  love.  The  old  fellow  was  a 
rough,  heartless,  violent  man;  a  coward  to 
those  stronger  than  himself,  brutal  to  those 
who  were  weaker.  He  locked  his  daughter 
up ;  he  half  starved  her ;  he  beat  her  so  that 
she  escaped  from  him  bleeding.  For  years 
he  never  spoke  a  kind  word  to  her.  He  had 
unbounded  confidence  in  me;  he  even  angrily 
complained  to  me  of  her  disobedience.  I  my- 
self have  witnessed  frightful  scenes,  and  on 
several  occasions  prevented  him  with  all  my 
physical  strength  from  maltreating  the  beau- 
tiful, unfortunate  child  in  my  presence." 

"Frightful!"  I  exclaimed.  The  dreadful 
picture  which  the  narrator  unfolded  before 
me  filled  me  with  horror. 

"Beside  myself,  there  is  one  other  human 
being  who  is  aware  of  the  family  life  in  the 
Lonely  House.  Old  Johanna  was  a  witness 
of  the  maltreatment  which  the  unhappy  girl 
suffered  daily  in  our  presence;  in  the  pres- 
12 


178  The  Lonely  House 

ence  of  others  the  old  man  assumed  a  kind, 
mild  demeanour  toward  his  child ;  old  Johanna 
suffered  almost  as  much  as  Anna  from  the 
brutality  of  her  master.  She  would  long  ago 
have  left  him  if  she  had  not  been  detained  by 
tender  affection  for  her  mistress.  After  what 
you  have  just  heard  you  may  judge  with  what 
amazement  I  was  filled  upon  learning  after 
the  death  of  old  Pollenz  that  Anna  had  de- 
scribed her  relations  with  her  father  as 
happy,  peaceful,  and  loving,  and  that  old 
Johanna  in  the  final  examination,  had  con- 
firmed all  that  Anna  said.  I  pondered  long  to 
discover  what  grounds  Anna  could  have  for 
such  a  false  representation  of  the  actual  cir- 
cumstances and  why  she  should  suddenly 
develop  such  inconceivable  hatred  for  me, 
who  had  so  often  protected  her  from  ill  treat- 
ment. When  at  last  I  suspected  the  true  cause 
I  found  it  difficult  of  belief.  I  alone  can 
expose  the  tissue  of  lies  which  she  has  woven 
around  herself.  I  alone  cannot  be  won  over 
to  testify  to  her  truth,  as  she  has  won  over  old 
Johanna,  who  would  perjure  herself  willingly 
for  her  darling,  and  Anna  needs  such  false- 
hoods. It  is  almost  impossible  to  believe  that 


An  Exploring  Party  179 

the  daughter,  driven  to  madness  and  despair 
by  daily  ill  treatment,  herself  opened  the 
locked  doors  for  her  lover.  Spare  me  further 
words,  Herr  Professor.  My  reason  becomes 
confused  when  I  reflect  on  a  deed  so  horrible. 
Ever  since  this  solution  became  clear  to  me, 
sleep  is  banished.  I  toss  restlessly  through- 
out the  night.  My  thoughts  dwell  perpetually 
in  the  Lonely  House.  At  times  I  have  feared 
that  I  should  become  insane.  The  struggle 
raging  within  me  during  these  last  few  days 
is  indescribable.  I  loved  Anna  with  all  my 
heart.  I  love  her  still,  and,  although  it  is 
madness,  I  shall  love  her  to  my  last  breath. 
Neither  her  crime  nor  the  hatred  which  she 
displays  towards  me  can  kill  this  insane  love 
within  me,  and  fate  has  ordained  that  I  should 
be  the  inexorable  judge,  the  dread  accuser  of 
her  lover,  in  ruining  whom  I  ruin  her  also; 
but  I  must  do  my  duty,  let  my  heart  bleed  as 
it  may." 

He  had  finished.  The  narrative  had  agi- 
tated him  fearfully;  he  trembled  in  every 
limb;  his  eyes  glowed  as  with  fever.  I  was 
scarcely  less  moved  than  he.  His  words  had 
torn  the  veil  from  my  eyes ;  I  could  now  see 


180  The  Lonely  House 

the  fearful  scenes  in  the  Lonely  House 
clearly,  and  how  they  had  led  to  the  final  deed. 
I  was  ineffably  sad.  Great  as  was  my  de- 
testation of  the  horrible  crime,  I  could  not  but 
pity  deeply  the  unfortunate  child  whom  de- 
spair had  maddened.  Detestation,  horror  and 
pity  by  turns  filled  my  heart.  I  could  put 
myself  in  the  place  of  the  unhappy  man  who 
had  just  revealed  to  me  his  innermost  soul. 

How  long  we  confronted  each  other  in 
silence  I  cannot  say.  We  were  both  too 
deeply  moved  to  give  expression  in  words  to 
our  feelings.  Herr  Foligno  recovered  him- 
self first.  His  voice  no  longer  trembled  as  he 
asked,  after  a  long  pause : 

' '  Will  you  now  sign  the  report  which  I  will 
write  out  for  you?" 

"Yes." 

I  brought  him  paper,  pen  and  ink.  He 
quickly  took  down  the  evidence  I  had  to  give, 
as  he  had  before  required  that  I  should  give 
it,  and  then  read  aloud  what  he  had  written. 
I  had  no  objection  to  offer,  and  signed  it. 

He  arose  and  held  out  his  hand  in  farewell. 

"I  have  another  terrible  night  before  me," 
he  said.  "To-morrow  a  messenger  must  take 


An  Exploring  Party  181 

this  early  to  Laibacli,  and  a  hard  day  will 
follow  a  weary  night  for  both  of  us.  It  will 
not  be  easy  for  you,  Herr  Professor,  to  make 
one  to-morrow  of  Franz  Schorn's  party  to  the 
cave  without  allowing  him  to  perceive  your 
detestation  of  him." 

"I  cannot;  I  shall  excuse  myself  on  the 
plea  of  illness." 

1  'No,  Herr  Professor,  you  must  not  do  this. 
Schorn  will  surely  learn  through  Mizka  that 
I  came  with  you  to  your  room ;  he  might  sus- 
pect something.  A  criminal  of  his  calibre  is 
on  the  watch  for  the  merest  trifle  which  can 
arouse  suspicion  of  his  discovery.  You,  too, 
Herr  Professor,  have  a  hard  duty  to  perform, 
but  it  must  be  done.  You  must  be  one  of  the 
party,  as  I  shall  be.  Neither  the  Captain  nor 
Schorn  must  dream  of  what  the  near  future 
will  bring  forth.  I  trust  to  your  honour,  and 
I  know  that  I  do  not  trust  in  vain." 

"You  may  rely  upon  me;  I  will  control 
myself. ' ' 

With  another  pressure  of  the  hand  we 
separated. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AN    ACCIDENT? 

As  I  tossed  restlessly  in  bed  I  heard  above 
me,  as  on  the  first  night  after  the  murder,  the 
pacing  to  and  fro  of  the  Judge.  A  magnetic 
connection  seemed  to  exist  between  us,  caus- 
ing me  to  think  what  he  thought,  and  to  feel 
what  he  felt.  The  same  terrible  images  which 
banished  sleep  from  his  eyes  were  present 
before  mine.  I  heard  the  church  clock 
strike  hour  after  hour,  and  only  with  the 
first  glimmer  of  dawn  did  I  enjoy  a  short 
slumber. 

At  five  o'clock  I  awakened.  My  first 
thoughts  dwelt  upon  what  the  Judge  had  told 
me  the  evening  before.  It  now  appeared  to 
me  in  quite  a  different  light.  I  was  more 
composed.  The  nervous  agitation  which  had 
then  possessed  me  had  vanished.  I  could 
reflect  upon  what  I  had  heard.  As  the  Judge 
had  spoken  in  his  excitement,  what  he  said 
had  such  an  effect  upon  me  that  it  all  seemed 
to  me  absolute  verity  without  need  of  proof, 

[182] 


An  Accident?  183 

but  now  doubts  sprang  up,  and  a  clearer 
understanding  demanded  its  rights. 

Had  Herr  Foligno  really  divulged  to  me 
unvarnished  facts,  which  convinced  me  of 
the  guilt  of  Schorn  and  of  his  betrothed,  as  his 
accomplice?  No!  He  had  accumulated  evi- 
dence as  the  doctor  had  done.  The  only  fact 
was  that  Anna  had  not  adhered  to  the  truth 
in  describing  her  relations  with  her  father, 
and  was  it  not  natural  that  the  daughter 
should  try  to  clear  her  father's  memory  of  all 
evil  I  It  was  very  natural  that  her  filial  affec- 
tion should  awaken  after  her  father's  terrible 
death ;  that  she  should  forget  everything  that 
had  distressed  her  in  their  relations — his 
harshness,  even  his  maltreatment — and  re- 
member only  his  love.  And  for  this  was  she 
to  be  accused  as  an  accomplice  in  an  accursed 
crime  1 

I  was  ashamed  of  my  credulity.  Might 
not  Herr  Foligno  be  governed  by  prejudice 
even  to  misunderstanding  the  relations  be- 
tween father  and  daughter?  A  harsh  word 
spoken  by  the  father  to  Anna  in  his  presence 
might  appear  to  him  an  intolerable  offence, 
while  Anna  might  scarcely  notice  it. 


184  The  Lonely  House 

I  really  could  not  comprehend  my  credulity 
of  the  previous  evening,  or  how  I  could  have 
been  led  by  the  Judge's  excitement  to  regard 
as  facts  the  arguments  he  had  adduced. 

And  if  Anna  were  not  guilty,  where  were 
there  grounds  for  suspicion  of  Franz  Schornf 
I  repented  having  signed  the  deposition  and 
having  promised  to  be  silent  with  regard  to 
it ;  but  I  had  given  my  promise,  and  it  must 
be  kept.  Perhaps,  after  all,  it  was  as  well, 
for  my  report  would  elicit  a  judicial  investi- 
gation of  all  grounds  for  suspicion  of  Franz 
Schorn,  who  could  be  acquitted  of  all  imputa- 
tions only  by  a  thorough  examination  which 
could  clear  him  from  every  suspicion  enter- 
tained of  him  by  his  fellow-townsmen. 

All  these  considerations  soothed  me.  I 
could  contemplate  the  expedition  which  I  had 
arranged  with  Franz  Schorn  for  to-day  with- 
out aversion.  It  was  rather  disagreeable  to 
know  that  the  report  signed  by  me  was 
already  on  its  way  to  Laibach,  while  I  was 
one  of  a  party  of  pleasure,  all  friends  of  the 
young  man ;  but  I  would  not  ponder  on  this ; 
it  was  irrevocable. 

Soon  after  six  o'clock  I  went  down  to  the 


An  Accident?  185 

garden  to  take  my  morning  cup  of  coffee,  and 
there  I  found  the  Captain  and  Franz  awaiting 
me  to  discuss  the  details  for  our  excursion. 
Franz  was  full  of  life  and  animation.  I  had 
never  seen  him  so  gay,  so  happy.  There  was 
no  trace  of  the  sullen  expression  which  some- 
times clouded  his  handsome  face.  His  morn- 
ing greeting  was  so  cordial  that  I  felt 
ashamed  indeed  as  I  shook  his  proffered 
hand.  This  pleasant,  happy  young  man 
guilty  of  a  murder  ?  It  was  folly,  nay,  it  was 
wicked  to  hold  any  such  idea  for  a  minute. 

He  had  early  completed  every  necessary 
preparation  for  the  excursion  we  were  about 
to  make.  The  Captain  and  I  had  really  noth- 
ing to  provide ;  even  the  magnesium  wire  had 
been  bought  at  the  druggist's.  Two  stout 
labourers,  who  could  speak  German,  were 
ready  to  accompany  us,  each  of  them  pro- 
vided with  a  thick,  pointed  staff  and  a  long 
rope,  not  too  thick,  but  very  strong.  Half  a 
dozen  pitch  torches  Schorn  had  procured 
from  the  fire  department,  and  a  lantern  for 
every  member  of  the  party.  In  addition,  the 
men  carried  after  us  two  short,  strong 
ladders. 


186  The  Lonely  House 

On  the  stroke  of  seven  Herr  Foligno  en- 
tered the  garden.  He  greeted  Schorn  politely ; 
the  Captain  and  myself  cordially.  He  looked 
ill  and  worn.  I  had  never  seen  his  sallow  fea- 
tures so  expressionless,  but  his  dark  eyes 
shone  with  feverish  excitement. 

We  began  our  walk.  The  people  who  met 
us  looked  after  us  in  surprise  as  we  strode 
through  the  streets  of  Luttach.  Apparently 
they  could  not  understand  how  two  men, 
known  to  be  such  bitter  enemies  as  Herr  Fo- 
ligno and  Franz  Schorn,  should  be  walking  so 
peaceably  side  by  side. 

At  the  furthest  end  of  the  town  we  de- 
scended to  the  bed  of  the  Rusina.  In  early 
spring,  when  the  snow  melts  quickly  upon 
Nanos  and  when  heavy  rainfalls  create  hun- 
dreds of  little  brooks  from  the  mountains,  the 
Rusina  dashes  along  in  wild  fury ;  but  after  a 
drought  it  is  almost  dried  up,  and  is  only  a 
shallow  rill  of  water  trickling  between  the 
stones  of  its  rock}7  bed.  We  could  walk  along 
it  without  wetting  our  feet.  It  was  not  very 
agreeable  walking,  but  it  was  the  nearest  way 
to  the  grove,  which  we  reached  after  scarcely 
ten  minutes. 


An  Accident?  187 

Here,  in  the  centre  of  this  grove,  consisting 
of  scarcely  a  hundred  huge  oaks,  there  is  a 
pile  of  mighty  rocks;  large  blocks,  covered 
with  luxuriant  green  moss,  are  heaped  to- 
gether in  a  confused  mass,  in  which  is  an 
opening,  black  and  forbidding,  about  the 
height  of  a  man,  which  forms  the  entrance  to 
the  cave  we  were  to  explore.  Here  we  halted 
and  consulted.  It  was  decided  that  we  should 
enter  in  single  file,  Franz  Schorn  first  as  our 
guide.  I  was  to  follow  him.  Herr  Foligno 
came  after  me,  and  the  Captain  was  last.  Our 
two  porters  closed  the  little  procession.  The 
lanterns  were  lighted  and  each  of  us  took  one. 

We  entered  the  cave,  which  was  at  first 
tolerably  spacious;  into  it  daylight  pene- 
trated, making  a  dim  twilight.  About  four  or 
five  yards  above  us  arched  a  roof  of  black, 
moist  stone.  The  ground  beneath,  descending 
rather  precipitously,  was  covered  with  small 
fragments  of  rock  which  had  apparently 
fallen  from  the  roof,  loosened  by  the  damp- 
ness. There  was  no  trace  of  the  beautiful 
stalactites  for  which  the  Adelsberg  Grotto  is 
so  famous.  The  light  of  our  lanterns  was 
quite  sufficient  to  reveal  clearly  the  part  of 


188  The  Lonely  House 

the  cave  where  we  stood  and  the  path  leading 
down  to  the  depths.  A  few  yards  from  the 
entrance  the  cave  narrowed.  There  was  room 
between  the  walls  of  rock  for  only  two  men 
to  walk  abreast ;  and  indeed  the  walking  was 
extremely  difficult,  because  of  the  slippery 
scales  of  rock  with  which  the  floor  was  strewn. 

Forward !  We  walked,  or,  rather,  we  scuf- 
fled, downwards,  in  danger  at  every  step  of 
falling  on  the  slippery  stones.  After  a  few 
minutes  our  path  grew  easier;  it  no  longer 
descended;  although  still  strewn  with  frag- 
ments of  rock,  the  danger  of  slipping  was  less. 
We  had  more  room.  The  walls  retreated  and 
vanished  beyond  the  circle  of  light  cast  by  our 
lanterns,  which  could  no  longer  illumine  the 
roof  of  the  cave  arching  above  us. 

"  'Here  it  resembles  a  cathedral,'  the 
Adelsberger  guides  would  say,  if  they  were 
here,"  said  Franz  Schorn  with  a  laugh,  stop- 
ping and  raising  his  lantern.  ' '  How  high  this 
dome  is  I  have  never  before  with  my  insuf- 
ficient light  been  able  to  discover,  and  just  be- 
cause I  had  insufficient  light  I  ventured  but 
little  further  into  the  cave." 

"You  reached  an  abyss  which  prevented 


An  Accident?  189 

your  further  progress ;  at  least  you  told  us  so 
yesterday,"  said  the  Judge. 

' l  True.  It  is  only  a  few  minutes '  walk  from 
here.  If  we  go  through  the  cathedral  and 
turn  a  little  to  the  left,  we  shall  reach  the 
only  outlet  which  leads  further  among  the 
rocks.  It  is  a  very  narrow,  rocky  way,  sud- 
denly ending  in  a  sheer  abyss.  It  is  for  us  to 
discover  to-day  whether  it  is  possible  to  be 
lowered  by  a  rope  into  its  depths  and  to  find 
sufficient  foothold  below  to  enable  us  to  con- 
tinue our  exploration.  When,  four  or  five 
years  ago,  I  last  entered  the  cave,  quite  alone, 
I  could  go  no  further,  and  so  I  returned  from 
this  spot." 

"Must  we  turn  to  the  left?"  asked  the 
Judge.  ' '  You  are  mistaken ;  we  must  turn  to 
the  right;  to  the  left  the  cave  is  completely 
blocked  by  a  heap  of  rocky  fragments." 

Franz  Schorn  regarded  the  speaker  with 
surprise,  bethought  himself  a  moment,  and 
then  exclaimed: 

"True,  you  are  right.  I  remember  now 
that  I  found  a  heap  of  rocks  on  my  left,  and 
then  turned  to  the  right  to  find  an  outlet.  But 
how  did  you  know  this,  Herr  Foligno?" 


190  The  Lonely  House 

One  of  the  two  porters  laughed  aloud,  and 
answered  in  the  Judge's  stead  with  some 
words  in  Slavonic,  which  seemed  to  surprise 
the  Captain  as  well  as  Schorn. 

"What,  Herr  Foligno,  you  were  here  in  the 
cave  a  week  ago,  with  Kassak,  and  ventured 
as  far  as  the  abyss,  and  never  told  us  any- 
thing about  it  yesterday?"  exclaimed  the 
Captain. 

'  *  I  told  you  that  I  had  entered  the  cave,  but 
had  not  gone  far.  I  do  not  talk  much  of  such 
trifles,"  he  replied  irritably,  adding: 

"Shall  we  not  light  a  couple  of  torches  to 
see  how  high  the  roof  is  ? " 

The  torches  were  lighted,  but  did  not  suf- 
fice to  reveal  the  height  of  the  cave.  Only 
when  the  magnesium  light  flamed  up  and  cast 
its  dazzling  radiance  upwards  did  we  perceive 
for  a  few  moments  the  rocky  roof  some 
twenty  yards  above  us. 

' '  This  is  gruesome, ' '  said  the  Captain,  with 
a  long  breath,  as  the  brilliant  light  was  extin- 
guished and  the  darkness  around  us  seemed 
deeper  and  blacker  than  before.  ""We  can 
now  understand  how  the  floor  beneath  our 
feet  is  so  covered  with  fragments  of  rock. 


An  Accident?  191 

Evidently  large  pieces  fall  from  the  roof  and 
are  broken  into  a  hundred  bits  below.  Look, 
Herr  Foligno;  the  stones  just  here  show 
traces  of  having  been  but  lately  broken.  At 
any  minute  another  fragment  might  fall  and 
be  the  death  of  us. " 

"Yes,  such  an  exploration  is  not  without 
danger,"  the  Judge  replied  with  a  sneer. 
"But  let  us  proceed,  gentlemen.  The  shorter 
the  time  spent  here  beneath  this  roof  the  less 
danger  is  there  that  we  shall  be  injured  by  a 
falling  rock.  Let  us  go  on,  in  the  same  order 
as  hitherto.  You  go  first,  Herr  Schorn. " 

"Since  you  visited  the  cave  only  a  week 
ago,  you  had  better  act  as  guide,  Herr 
Foligno." 

"No,  I  refuse.  I  expressly  stated  yester- 
day that  I  should  be  entirely  guided  by  you, 
and  I  repeat  it.  Therefore,  pray,  Herr 
Schorn,  go  before  us;  I  will  follow  with  the 
Herr  Professor." 

Schorn  made  no  further  objection.  We 
pursued  our  way,  keeping  to  the  right,  and 
entered  the  narrow  opening  between  the 
rocks,  which  seemed  the  only  means  by  which 
to  penetrate  further  into  the  cave.  It  was 


192  The  Lonely  House 

narrower  than  any  path  hitherto.  It  would 
have  been  impossible  for  two  men  to  walk  in 
it  abreast,  but  there  was  more  than  enough 
room,  when  in  single  file.  Our  lanterns  and 
the  torches  of  the  porters  cast  sufficient  light 
to  show  us  a  gentle  ascent  in  front  and  to 
enable  us  to  proceed  free  from  all  risk  of 
danger. 

1 1  We  have  reached  the  abyss, ' '  Schorn  said, 
halting  after  a  few  moments.  "Here  we  can 
go  no  further,  and  if  we  cannot  find,  after 
being  lowered  by  a  rope,  another  opening,  our 
exploration  party  has  reached  its  limits.  The 
abyss  appears  to  be  not  only  sheer,  but  the 
rock  upon  which  we  stand  overhangs  it  some- 
what. I  will  lie  flat  on  the  ground  and  look 
down.  Perhaps  I  shall  succeed  in  finding  an 
outlet,  but  I  must  have  a  brighter  light  than 
that  of  the  lanterns.  Give  me  one  of  the 
torches,  Herr  Professor." 

A  torch  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand;  I 
gave  it  to  Schorn,  who  laid  himself  flat  on 
the  ground,  and,  leaning  over  the  abyss  as  far 
as  possible,  endeavoured  to  cast  into  it  the 
light  of  the  torch.  As  he  lay  there  I  had  a 
view  of  the  depths,  but  it  gave  me  little  hope 


An  Accident?  193 

for  the  continuance  of  our  exploration.  The 
re*d  light  of  the  torch  was  sufficient  to  show 
me  a  black  wall  rising  twelve  or  fifteen  feet 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  abyss.  It  seemed 
to  bar  all  progress,  giving  no  hint  of  any 
outlet.  A  few  feet  above  our  heads  the  smoke 
of  the  torches  hung  in  a  cloud,  which  found 
no  egress  from  the  cave. 

"Beneath  us,  scarcely  twenty  feet  below, 
there  is  firm  footing,"  cried  Schorn,  "and,  if 
I  do  not  mistake,  the  cave  then  leads  to  the 
right  among  the  rocks;  but  I  must  have  a 
brighter  light." 

He  handed  the  torch  back  to  me  and  took  a 
piece  of  magnesium  wire  from  his  pocket. 
The  next  moment  the  cave  as  far  as  we  could 
overlook  it  was  illumined  as  by  an  electric 
light. 

"A  happy  discovery;  we  can  go  on,"  cried 
Schorn,  delighted,  as  the  light  was  extin- 
guished. "I  can  assure  you,  gentlemen,"  he 
said,  rising,  * '  that  the  first  difficulty  is  almost 
without  danger,  and  easy  to  overcome." 

We  crowded  about  him ;  even  the  two  por- 
ters were  determined  not  to  lose  a  word  of  his 
description. 

13 


194  The  Lonely  House 

Beneath  the  overhanging  rock,  at  a  depth 
of  scarcely  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  there  was  a 
firm  footing,  a  platform  of  stone  quite  broad 
enough  to  give  standing  room  for  at  least  five 
or  six  men,  and  from  this  platform  a  way  was 
distinguishable  on  the  right  through  a  narrow 
opening  in  the  rocks. 

"Now  you  see,  Herr  Foligno,  I  was  right  a 
week  ago.  You  would  not  believe  me,  but  so 
it  is,"  exclaimed  Rassak,  one  of  the  porters, 
exultantly,  speaking  German. 

* '  Who  asked  your  opinion ! ' '  the  Judge  said 
harshly. 

"Did  Eassak,  then,  discover  the  continu- 
ance of  the  cave?"  said  the  Captain. 

"Well,  yes,"  the  Judge  replied  irritably. 
"It  seems  at  present  that  he  was  probably 
right.  He  lay  down  on  the  ground  and  let 
down  a  lantern  by  a  rope,  and  then  declared 
that  the  cave  had  a  further  outlet.  I  lay 
down  after  him  and  looked  down,  but  I  could 
see  no  opening.  I  did  not  believe  him,  and  it 
was  partly  to  convince  myself  whether  or  not 
he  was  correct  that  I  offered  to  accompany 
you  to-day.  I  could  not  explore  it  myself 
then;  I  had  no  rope  strong  enough  to  lower 


An  Accident?  195 

me  to  the  platform  below,  which  might  have 
been  done  without  danger. ' ' 

"Not  quite  without  danger,  at  least  for  the 
first  to  attempt  it,"  Schorn  remarked  calmly, 
"but  it  is  not  great.  It  needs  a  little  swing 
on  the  rope  to  reach  the  platform,  but  when 
one  man  obtains  firm  footing  there,  the  rest 
is  easy.  I  will  be  let  down  first,  and  can  draw 
the  rest  toward  me.  The  porters  must  stay 
here,  that  they  may  pull  us  up  when  we  re- 
turn." 

'  *  But  it  seems  to  me  a  very  perilous  under- 
taking," said  the  Captain  anxiously.  "We 
cannot  expose  our  Herr  Professor  to  such 
danger.  If  the  rope  breaks  before  he  reaches 
the  platform,  or  if  he  should  be  seized  with 
giddiness,  he  would  fall  into  a  bottomless 


"I  will  guarantee  the  strength  of  the 
rope,"  said  Franz  Schorn. 

"And  I  that  I  shall  suffer  no  dizziness;  I 
do  not  know  the  sensation."  I  was  so  keen 
for  the  continuance  of  our  exploration  that  I 
was  almost  irritated  by  the  Captain's  anxiety 
on  my  behalf.  The  danger  would  have  to  be 
far  greater  than  it  was  to  deter  me  from 


196  The  Lonely  House 

further  progress.  Hitherto  I  had  found  no 
trace  of  a  cave  beetle ;  there  had  been  nothing 
living  among  the  bald  black  rocks.  Only  at  a 
greater  depth  could  I  hope  to  satisfy  my 
passion  for  collecting. 

"If  the  Captain  thinks  the  danger  too  great, 
he  can  remain  with  the  porters.  I  shall  be 
glad  to  follow  the  Herr  Professor,"  said  the 
Judge;  whereupon  the  Captain  turned  upon 
him  angrily,  declaring  that  he  was  not  think- 
ing of  danger  for  himself,  but  for  the  old 
gentleman  who  was  their  guest  in  Luttach; 
since,  however,  the  Herr  Professor  wished 
to  go,  he  himself  should  surely  not  remain 
behind. 

Thus  we  determined  to  proceed.  Franz 
Schorn  gave  us  the  necessary  directions.  He 
wished  us  to  put  the  rope  around  us  and  to 
hold  it  firmly  when  we  were  lowered.  These 
directions  were  not  necessary  in  my  case;  I 
have  made  use  of  rope  so  often  with  my 
guides  among  the  glaciers,  and  have  so  fre- 
quently been  let  down  from  the  rocks  to 
obtain  some  rare  plant,  that  I  was  quite 
familiar  with  its  use.  There  seemed  to  be  no 
possible  peril  here,  even  for  Franz  Schorn, 


An  Accident?  197 

for  four  of  us  would  hold  the  rope  and  we 
could  lower  him  very  gradually  for  the  short 
distance  to  the  platform  below,  making  any 
great  swing  of  the  rope  impossible.  The  two 
porters  could  easily  lower  the  Captain,  who 
was  to  be  the  last  of  us  to  follow. 

Schorn  arranged  the  rope  so  that  he  could 
place  himself  in  the  loop ;  he  fastened  a  lan- 
tern to  it,  and  then  advanced  to  the  edge  of 
the  rocks,  seated  himself,  and,  still  holding 
to  the  irregular  surface  he  slowly  lowered 
himself,  while  we,  holding  the  rope,  paid  it 
out  inch  by  inch.  I  followed  him  to  the  edge, 
but  I  did  not  look  down,  because  I  concen- 
trated all  my  attention  upon  the  paying  out  of 
the  rope. 

After  scarcely  a  minute  we  heard  him  call 
from  below : 

''Halt!  I  am  all  right.  Draw  the  rope  up 
again." 

I  laid  myself  flat  on  the  ground  and  looked 
over  the  edge  of  the  platform,  which  was  now 
illuminated  by  the  lantern  which  Schorn  held. 
It  was  light  enough  for  me  to  see  the  young 
man  distinctly  as  he  stood  quite  comfortably 
not  far  below  me.  I  could  also  discern  the 


198  The  Lonely  House 

black  opening  to  the  right,  the  continuation  of 
the  cave. 

"Follow  me,  Herr  Professor,"  Schorn 
called  up.  * '  Do  just  as  I  did ;  there  is  no  dan- 
ger ;  seat  yourself  in  the  loop  and  as  soon  as 
you  are  lowered,  I  will  drag  you  to  me.  A 
dozen  men  beside  us  could  find  room  on  this 
platform. ' ' 

I  did  as  he  directed  and  seated  myself  in 
the  loop,  but  as  I  was  about  to  swing  clear  of 
the  outer  edge  of  the  rock  to  follow  Schorn 's 
example,  my  heart  suddenly  gave  a  leap.  For 
a  moment  horror  overcame  me  as  I  looked 
into  the  depths  below;  I  hesitated  to  cast 
myself  loose. 

"Are  you  afraid,  Herr  Professor?"  The 
Judge  stood  immediately  behind  me,  regard- 
ing me  with  a  sneer.  His  eyes  gleamed 
strangely  as  he  leaned  over  me. 

There  is  no  greater  folly  than  to  expose 
oneself  to  a  danger  out  of  fear  of  being  called 
a  coward.  I  have  often  declared  this,  but  at 
that  moment,  old  man  as  I  am,  I  committed 
this  folly. 

"Hold  the  rope  firmly;  I  will  let  myself 
down,"  I  replied. 


An  Accident?  199 

' '  Have  no  fear,  we  will  hold  it  fast. ' ' 

I  liovered  above  the  abyss  and  was  slowly 
lowered.  I  had  almost  reached  the  platform 
when  I  heard  above  me  a  strange  creaking; 
at  the  next  moment  I  knew  I  was  falling,  but 
a  strong  arm  was  thrown  around  me  and 
Franz  Schorn  and  I  staggered  and  fell  on  the 
platform.  Just  then  I  heard  a  scream  from 
above. 

" Great  God!"  exclaimed  the  voice  of  the 
Judge.  ' '  The  rope  has  broken ;  the  Professor 
has  fallen  into  the  abyss !" 

This  was  all  the  work  of  a  moment.  I  tried 
to  stand  up,  but  I  could  not ;  my  right  ankle 
was  terribly  painful.  Franz  Schorn,  who  had 
fallen  with  me,  was  quickly  on  his  feet. 

"I  never  will  believe  that  the  rope  broke," 
he  whispered.  He  seized  it  and  examined  it 
by  the  light  of  his  lantern  on  the  ground ;  mine 
had  been  broken  and  extinguished  in  my  fall. 

"It  was  half  cut  through  before  it  broke," 
he  said  in  a  dull  tone.  * '  That  scoundrel,  Fo- 
ligno,  has  tried  to  plunge  you  into  the  abyss." 

Hastily  taking  a  knife  from  his  breast 
pocket  he  cut  off  the  end  of  the  rope  and 
handed  it  to  me. 


200  The  Lonely  House 

"Keep  this,"  he  whispered.  "You  may 
perhaps  need  it  for  proof  that  the  rascal  tried 
to  murder  you." 

I  heard  his  words,  but  I  did  not  understand 
him.  My  thoughts  were  in  wild  confusion ;  I 
was  still  half  stunned  by  my  fall.  Mechan- 
ically I  followed  his  directions  and  put  the 
piece  of  rope  in  my  pocket.  Only  gradually 
did  I  clearly  understand  in  what  danger  I 
had  been,  and  that  Franz  Schorn  had  ven- 
tured his  own  life  to  rescue  mine.  It  was 
almost  a  certainty  that  I  should  drag  him 
down  to  the  abyss,  but  he  had  seized  me  as  I 
fell,  and  at  the  risk  of  his  life  had  pulled  me 
back  to  the  platform. 

"You  have  saved  my  life " 

He  interrupted  me.  "Don't  speak  of  it. 
We  all  help  one  another  as  well  as  we  can. 
What  we  have  to  think  of  now  is  how  to  reach 
the  rock  above  us  without  injury." 

He  suddenly  paused,  as  from  above  came 
the  voice  of  the  Judge : 

"Thank  God!  The  accident  is  not  so  bad 
as  I  feared.  I  can  see  the  Herr  Professor  and 
Herr  Schorn  on  the  platform  below.  Are  you 
hurt,  Herr  Professor?" 


An  Accident?  201 

"I  believe  my  right  ankle  is  broken,"  I 
called  back. 

' '  Good  heavens !   What  shall  we  do  ? " 

"Why,  of  course,"  Schorn  replied,  "you 
must  lower  the  second  rope  to  pull  us  up.  I 
beg,  however,  that  Rassak  may  be  the  first 
man,  Bela  the  second,  the  Captain  the  third, 
and  that  you,  Herr  Foligno,  do  not  touch  the 
rope.  It  might  break  in  your  hands  a  second 
time.  I  will  not  trust  you  with  the  Herr 
Professor's  life  or  my  own." 

The  Judge  made  no  reply.  For  a  moment 
all  was  silent,  and  then  the  Captain  called 
down  to  us : 

"What  nonsense  you  are  talking,  Franz! 
You  have  mortally  offended  the  Judge.  He 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  accident.  He  is 
in  despair  that  the  Herr  Professor  should  be 
injured. ' ' 

"His  anger  is  of  no  consequence,"  Franz 
answered.  "He  promised  me  to  submit  to 
my  orders,  and  I  insist  upon  his  not  touching 
the  rope  again." 

A  long  discussion  began.  The  Captain  was 
seriously  angry  at  the  offence  Franz  had 
given  to  the  Judge,  whom  he  attempted  to 


202  The  Lonely  House 

soothe,  but  Franz  declared  positively  that  he 
would  wait  with  me  on  the  platform  for  hours 
until  Eassak  could  procure  two  other  men 
rather  than  trust  himself  and  me  to  a  rope 
passing  through  the  hands  of  the  Judge.  He 
said  nothing  of  his  suspicion  that  the  rope 
had  been  partly  cut  through,  and,  therefore, 
the  Captain  thought  his  demand  unjustifiable 
and  prompted  solely  by  hatred  of  his  foe.  He 
was  indignant,  but  he  was  obliged  to  comply 
with  the  young  man's  demand,  in  order  that  I 
might  be  relieved  from  my  most  unpleasant 
situation  as  soon  as  possible.  He  promised 
that  Eassak  should  be  stationed  close  to  the 
edge  and  that  the  Judge  should  take  no  part 
in  the  pulling  up  of  the  rope.  While  the  Cap- 
tain and  Franz  were  discussing  the  matter  I 
had  examined  my  ankle,  and,  to  my  great  joy, 
found  that  it  was  not  broken,  but  had  been 
severely  sprained  by  my  fall.  It  was  exces- 
sively painful,  but  I  could  move  it;  I  could 
even  stand  with  Franz's  assistance.  Some 
moments  passed,  and  then  Schorn's  name 
was  called  from  above. 

"Is  that  you,  Eassak?" 

"Yea." 


An  Accident?  203 

"Where  is  the  Judge!" 

"Herr  Foligno  has  gone  back  to  the  dome 
alone.  He  is  to  wait  there  until  we  come." 

"Lower  the  second  rope  to  me;  I  wish  to 
examine  it. ' ' 

After  a  minute  the  rope  hovered  above  us ; 
Franz  seized  it,  unfastened  it  from  the  other 
rope  to  which  it  was  tied  and  examined  it  nar- 
rowly by  the  light  of  the  lantern. 

"It  is  sound  and  uninjured.  I  feared  the 
rascal  might  have  cut  this  through  secretly ; 
but  he  has  not  dared  to  do  so.  Now  we  can 
allow  ourselves  to  be  pulled  up  without 
delay." 

Rassak  was  ordered  to  pull  the  rope  up 
again  and  then  to  throw  down  to  us  the 
broken  one.  This  was  done.  Franz  cut  a 
piece  from  the  broken  end  with  his  knife  and 
gave  it  to  me,  saying : 

"Keep  it  with  the  one  you  have,  Herr  Pro- 
fessor." 

After  which  he  busied  himself  with  prepa- 
rations for  my  rescue.  These  he  made  with 
great  care,  trying  the  strength  of  the  rope 
which  he  tied  about  me  and  of  the  loop  in 
which  I  seated  myself.  Although  I  protested 


204  The  Lonely  House 

and  declared  that  I  could  now  care  for  myself 
perfectly,  he  used  the  piece  of  old  rope  to 
keep  me  steady  as  I  ascended,  holding  it 
firmly  below  to  prevent  any  swaying  of  the 
other.  Thus  I  reached  the  top  of  the  rock  in 
safety,  although  my  short  ascent  had  caused 
almost  intolerable  pain  in  my  sprained  ankle, 
and  when  Rassak  received  me  in  his  powerful 
arms  above,  I  could  not  move  the  injured  foot. 
I  tried  to  stand  up  and  to  walk,  but  it  was 
quite  impossible.  Rassak  was  forced  to  take 
me  on  his  broad  shoulders  and  carry  me  back 
to  the  dome.  The  Captain  and  Bela  carried 
their  lanterns  in  advance ;  without  their  light 
he  could  scarcely  have  made  his  way  along 
the  narrow  path  through  the  rocks.  Franz 
was  obliged  to  wait  on  the  platform  for  some 
minutes  before  being  drawn  up. 

"We  found  the  Judge  seated  on  a  block  of 
stone  at  the  entrance  of  the  rocky  way  be- 
neath the  dome.  He  sprang  up  as  we 
approached. 

"Thank  God,  Herr  Professor!"  he  cried, 
throwing  his  arm  kindly  about  me  for  my 
support,  as  Rassak  placed  me  on  the  ground. 
He  pushed  aside  several  large  stones  to  make 


An  Accident?  205 

a  comfortable  bed  for  me.  He  even  took  off 
his  coat  and  put  it  upon  the  rock  that  I  might 
have  a  softer  resting  place.  He  was  full  of 
kind  attention,  far  exceeding  the  Captain,  who 
congratulated  me  in  a  few  simple  words  and 
expressed  his  joy  upon  my  escape;  never- 
theless I  had  a  strange  sensation,  akin  to  fear, 
when  he,  with  Eassak  and  Bela,  returned 
through  the  narrow  way  to  rescue  Franz  and 
I  was  left  alone  in  the  vault  with  the  Judge. 
Involuntarily  I  put  my  hand  in  my  breast 
pocket  where  was  the  trusty  companion  of  all 
my  excursions,  my  revolver.  I  could  not  but 
recall  Franz  Schorn's  words  on  the  platform, 
and  the  impression  which  they  had  made  upon 
me  was  deepened  when  my  hand  met  the  small 
pieces  of  rope.  I  dreaded  to  see  the  fading 
light  of  the  last  lantern  disappear  in  the  nar- 
row pathway.  I  was  miserably  uncomfort- 
able in  the  spacious  dark  vault,  where  the 
light  of  a  single  lantern  cast  a  ray  of  light  so 
weak  as  only  to  enhance  the  black  darkness  of 
the  place. 

The  Judge  seated  himself  close  beside  me, 
and  when  the  Captain  vanished  in  the  narrow 
path  he  seized  my  hand. 


206  The  Lonely  House 

"Herr  Professor,"  he  said,  modulating  his 
voice  to  the  lowest  whisper,  "I  have  been 
assailed  by  a  horrible  suspicion  as  I  sat  here. 
I  feared  I  never  should  see  you  again.  Was 
the  accident  which  befell  you  occasioned  by 
chance?  If  the  rope  was  strong  enough  to 
sustain  the  heavy  weight  of  Schorn,  how 
could  it  break  with  the  much  lesser  strain  of 
your  weight?  Tell  me,  Herr  Professor,  does 
Franz  Schorn  know  that  you  have  told  me 
of  his  meeting  you  in  the  forest  on  the  day  of 
the  murder!" 

"No." 

"Then  what  I  feared  is  but  too  certain. 
You  saw  him  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Lonely  House  on  that  day.  The  only  witness 
against  him  must  die.  While  he  stood  beneath 
us  on  the  rocky  platform  he  loosened  the  rope 
and  cut  it  so  that  it  parted  as  we  were  lower- 
ing you.  We  will  examine  the  rope;  there 
must  be  traces  of  a  cut  in  it." 

Schorn  had  brought  against  this  man  the 
very  accusation  which  was  now  brought 
against  himself.  He  could  have  had  no  cause 
for  his  supposition,  whilst  the  reason  adduced 
by  the  Judge  was  not  without  probability. 


An  Accident?  207 

"Perhaps  you  will  object,"  the  Judge  con- 
tinued, "that  he  has  saved  your  life;  that 
without  his  aid  you  must  have  fallen  into  the 
chasm.  He  need  not  have  stretched  out  his 
hand  if  he  had  wished  to  murder  you.  This 
thought  also  occurred  to  me,  but,  upon  reflec- 
tion, I  find  that  my  suspicion  is  only  strength- 
ened by  your  rescue.  Perhaps  his  movement 
was  involuntary — an  impulse  of  the  moment 
to  seize  a  falling  man — but,  again,  perhaps 
your  rescue  is  only  part  of  a  cunning  scheme. 
He  makes  sure  that  you  never  could  decide  to 
speak  a  word  against  the  saviour  of  your  life ; 
he  does  not  know  that  this  word  is  already 
spoken.  He  thought,  therefore,  that  he  could 
save  your  life  and  yet  attain  his  purpose 
without  burdening  his  soul  with  a  second 
murder.  Indeed,  should  suspicion  arise  that 
the  rope  did  not  break  accidentally,  he  might 
easily  cast  it  upon  another.  Why  else  did  he 
demand  that  I  should  take  no  part  in  drawing 
you  up  ?  He  wished  to  arouse  suspicion  of  me 
in  your  mind  and  in  the  Captain's.  None 
could  attach  to  him,  were  it  discovered  later 
that  the  rope  had  actually  been  cut,  if  he 
saved  your  life,  and  he  will  not  fail  to  remind 


208  The  Lonely  House 

you  that  it  was  at  the  risk  of  his  own.  He  is 
a  thorough  villain  and  incredibly  cunning.  I 
fear  I  shall  have  many  difficulties  to  overcome 
before  establishing  the  proof  of  his  guilt  and 
revealing  him  as  the  murderer  of  old 
Pollenz." 

The  Judge's  words  produced  a  deep  im- 
pression on  me.  Had  not  everything  that  he 
set  forth  actually  happened  1  One  thing  was 
certain — the  rope  had  been  cut.  Whose  was 
the  blame?  The  Judge's — who  could  have  no 
interest  in  plunging  me  into  the  abyss  ?  Why 
should  he  attempt  to  take  my  life?  Franz 
Schorn's — who  had  saved  my  life  at  the  risk 
of  his  own?  However  the  Judge  might  en- 
deavour to  disparage  the  danger  to  which  he 
had  exposed  himself,  I  knew  better.  I  had 
felt  him  stagger  as  he  leaned  over  beyond  the 
rock  and  dragged  me  toward  him.  The  suc- 
cess of  this  hazardous  action  was  due  to  his 
physical  strength  and  good  luck ;  it  was  little 
short  of  a  miracle  that  he  had  not  been 
dragged  down  to  the  depths  with  me.  Where 
lay  the  truth?  In  vain  I  pondered;  I  could 
not  fathom  it. 

Voices  were  heard  coming  through  the  nar- 


An  Accident?  209 

row  pathway,  and  the  Captain,  Eassak,  Bela, 
and  last  of  all,  Schorn,  appeared.  Franz  gave 
me  a  kindly  nod ;  of  the  Judge  he  took  not  the 
smallest  notice,  but  resumed  his  command 
and  the  guidance  of  the  expedition.  He  di- 
rected the  porters  to  strap  together  the  lad- 
ders, of  which  we  had  hitherto  made  no  use, 
and  upon  them  placed  the  jackets  of  the  men 
of  the  party,  forming  a  litter  for  me.  Rassak 
and  Bela  then  bore  me  from  beneath  the  vault 
to  the  entrance  of  the  cave.  I  suffered  intol- 
erably; only  when  we  had  again  entered  the 
forest  and  my  kind  companions  were  able  to 
make  my  litter  softer  with  boughs  and 
branches  of  trees  did  I  find  any  relief  from 
the  torture  I  was  enduring. 

In  this  melancholy  wise  we  returned  to  Lut- 
tach,  and  thus  ended  my  investigation  of  an 
unexplored  Ukraine  cave. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FOECED  SECLUSION. 

I  WAS  confined  to  iny  lofty  bed  in  my  cham- 
ber in  the  inn  for  three  days.  The  doctor 
insisted  I  must  stay  there  with  cold  com- 
presses upon  my  foot  until  the  inflammation 
had  entirely  disappeared,  and  then  a  week  at 
least  must  be  spent  in  my  room  with  the  in- 
jured leg  stretched  out  before  me,  nor  could  I 
dream  of  undertaking  any  further  excursions 
until  two  weeks  at  least  had  elapsed. 

This  was  a  melancholy  prospect.  Two 
weeks  of  imprisonment  in  the  bare,  low-ceiled 
guest-chamber  No.  2;  while  out  of  doors  the 
sun  was  shining  and  calling  me  to  wanderings 
in  the  forest  and  on  the  mountains.  But  what 
cannot  be  cured  must  be  endured. 

I  could  not  complain  of  ennui.  Of  society  I 
had  more  than  enough ;  I  sometimes  longed  to 
be  alone  for  an  hour  to  reflect  upon  my  re- 
markable adventures,  but  I  had  visitors  in 
unbroken  succession,  and  until  late  in  the 
evening  I  was  not  left  for  a  moment  to  myself. 

[210] 


Forced  Seclusion  211 

All  the  gentlemen  whom  I  had  met  about 
the  round  table  in  the  dining-room  came  to 
testify  in  the  friendliest  manner  their  sym- 
pathy, and  to  beg  me  to  relate  my  adventures, 
while  Mizka  and  Frau  Franzka  by  turns  saw 
to  my  comfort,  attending  most  carefully  to  the 
compresses  upon  my  ankle.  I  could  not  have 
been  more  kindly  and  attentively  cared  for 
than  in  the  Slavonic  inn  in  Ukraine.  But  it 
was  almost  too  much  of  a  good  thing.  Their 
perpetual  attention  became  burdensome,  and 
the  constant  stream  of  visitors  wearied  me. 
To  tell  the  same  thing  over  and  over  again 
was  not  very  amusing,  especially  as  a  number 
of  my  auditors — Weber,  Gunther,  Meyer, 
Mosic,  and  the  notary,  Deitrich — did  not  seem 
to  give  full  credence  to  my  story;  that  is, 
with  regard  to  my  rescue  by  Franz  Schorn. 
They  put  all  sorts  of  questions  to  me  with  re- 
gard to  what  had  passed  on  the  platform  of 
rock,  questions  which  I  could  not  or  would 
not  answer,  for,  of  course,  I  said  not  a  word 
of  the  rope's  bearing  traces  of  having  been 
cut,  although  this  seemed  to  be  just  the  very 
point  to  which  they  wished  to  lead  me. 

Through  the  Clerk,  Herr  Von  Einern,  I  at 


212  The  Lonely  House 

last  learned  the  reason  for  their  persistent 
questions.  He  expressed  his  indignation  at 
the  account  which  Herr  Foligno  had  given  on 
the  evening  of  our  adventure.  It  was  emi- 
nently devised  to  arouse  in  his  hearers  a  sus- 
picion that  in  some  manner  Franz  Schorn  was 
to  blame  for  my  accident.  He  did  not  speak 
explicitly,  but  as  unwilling  to  blame  Schorn ; 
he  would  leave  that  to  me,  who  had  sustained 
the  injury;  but  in  speaking  thus  he  had  con- 
trived to  increase  the  desire  of  those  present 
to  hear  more. 

The  Captain  confirmed  his  statement,  but 
was  indignant  not  only  with  Franz  Schorn, 
but  with  the  conduct  of  the  Judge  himself.  He 
would  not  forgive  Schorn  for  accusing  Herr 
Foligno  to  me,  apparently  without  any  rea- 
son, while  he  found  the  revenge  taken  by  the 
Judge  unworthy  and  mean.  In  his  opinion 
there  had  simply  been  an  unfortunate  acci- 
dent; the  rope  had  been  cut  by  some  sharp 
projection  in  the  rocks;  Franz  had  certainly 
risked  his  life  to  save  mine,  but  this  did  not 
justify  him  in  what  he  had  said  of  the  Judge, 
which  made  Herr  Foligno  the  direct  cause  of 
the  fall. 


Forced  Seclusion  213 

In  the  end  I  positively  could  not  tell  what 
to  think  of  the  affair.  My  harassing  doubt 
was  corroborated  by  a  visit  in  the  evening 
from  the  Judge.  He  had  seen  me  during  the 
day,  but  only  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  to 
express  his  sympathy  and  to  ask  after  my 
welfare,  saying  nothing  during  these  short 
visits  concerning  my  adventure;  but  in  the 
evening  he  paid  me  a  longer  call,  begging  per- 
mission to  bestow  his  society  upon  me  for  a 
while  and  to  drink  his  wine  in  my  room  in- 
stead of  in  the  dining-room  below.  He  settled 
himself  comfortably  beside  me,  informing 
Mizka  and  Frau  Franzka  that  he  would 
assume  the  care  of  me  during  the  evening  and 
change  my  compresses.  I  tried  to  prevent 
this,  but  he  would  take  no  refusal,  and  ren- 
dered his  services  with  assiduous  precision. 
It  was  quite  touching  to  see  how  careful  he 
was  to  avoid  giving  me  the  least  pain,  and 
how  he  anticipated  my  every  wish. 

I  could  not  but  be  grateful,  but  I  was  not 
comfortable  in  his  society,  for  as  soon  as 
Mizka  and  Frau  Franzka  had  left  the  room  he 
took  the  opportunity  to  express  himself  most 
clearly  with  regard  to  our  adventure  and 


214  The  Lonely  House 

Franz  Schorn.  He  informed  me  that  he  had 
received  a  telegram  from  Laibach  announc- 
ing that  the  investigating  Judge  and  the  At- 
torney General  would  visit  Luttach  on  the 
morrow  to  conduct  personally  further  inqui- 
ries, desirous  of  hearing  from  my  own  lips  the 
manner  of  my  meeting  with  Franz  Schorn  on 
the  day  of  the  murder.  He  coupled  this  in- 
formation with  the  desire  that  I  should  not 
withhold  from  the  gentlemen  what  I  thought 
with  regard  to  Franz  Schorn 's  connection 
with  my  accident. 

When  I  refused  point  blank  to  do  this  and 
declared  that  I  suspected  Franz  of  nothing, 
that  I  was  convinced  that  accident  only  had 
caused  the  breaking  of  the  rope,  he  became 
very  indignant  at  such  ill-judged  forbearance. 

"I  cannot  understand  you,  Herr  Profes- 
sor," he  said  angrily.  "Suspicion  is  almost 
become  certainty.  Schorn  has  betrayed  him- 
self by  superfluous  caution.  It  is  a  common 
experience  among  lawyers  that  the  criminal 
often  furnishes  the  clue  to  his  discovery  by 
excess  of  caution,  and  this  has  been  Schorn 's 
case.  To  destroy  all  traces  of  a  cut  in  the 
rope  he  has  cut  off  both  ends  of  the  break  and 


Forced  Seclusion  215 

thrown  them  away  in  the  cave.  Perhaps  they 
can  still  be  found ;  but  should  this  not  be  the 
case,  the  fact  of  his  so  disposing  of  them  tells 
against  him.  What  other  aim  could  he  have 
in  thus  destroying  all  traces  of  the  cut?" 

"But  he  did  not  throw  them  away.  He  cut 
them  off  in  my  presence  and  gave  them  to 
me.  Here  they  are,"  I  replied,  taking  the 
ends  of  rope  from  my  breast  pocket. 

I  spoke  and  acted  without  thought,  as  I  felt 
the  moment  the  words  were  out  of  my  mouth 
and  I  perceived  their  effect  upon  my  hearer. 
He  started  from  his  chair  as  if  from  an  elec- 
tric shock  and  took  instant  possession  of  the 
ends  of  rope. 

"He  gave  them  to  you,"  he  cried,  "and 
why?  Ah!  now  I  understand  it  all.  Con- 
scious of  his  guilt,  he  feared  discovery,  and 
bethought  himself,  in  his  over-caution,  to  in- 
form you  of  what  had  been  done.  Suspicion 
must  be  thrown  upon  another,  and  I  was  that 
other.  Tell  me  frankly,  Herr  Professor — I 
have  a  right  to  ask  it — tell  me,  did  he  not  hint 
to  you  that  I  had  cut  the  rope?" 

I  had  acted  like  a  fool  and  was  now  pain- 
fully embarrassed.  I  was  obliged  to  confess 


216  The  Lonely  House 

to  him  that  his  suspicion  was  correct.  He 
instantly  grew  excessively  angry. 

"What  doubly  detestable  villainy,"  he 
cried,  * '  refinement  of  rascality — to  throw  sus- 
picion on  me  and  to  adduce  as  proof  the  cut 
which  his  own  knife  had  made,  and  which,  of 
course,  he  knew  well  enough  where  to  find! 
Of  course  I  know  that  his  words  did  not  make 
the  smallest  impression  on  you.  Nevertheless 
they  anger  me  beyond  expression.  I  did  not 
credit  even  the  villain  that  he  is  with  such  ras- 
cality, but  it  shall  react  upon  himself.  These 
two  fragments  shall  bear  witness  against  him. 
I  shall  give  them  to  the  Attorney  General 
to-morrow." 

' '  Indeed  you  will  not, ' '  I  replied  firmly.  * '  I 
owe  my  life  to  Franz  Schorn.  Without  his 
aid  I  should  now  be  lying  dead  in  the  depths 
of  the  cave.  I  do  not  know  whether  a  knife 
or  a  sharp  stone  worked  the  mischief,  but  I 
do  know  that  Schorn  risked  his  own  life  for 
mine.  This  is  solely  my  affair.  My  life  was 
imperilled  and  I  surely  have  the  right  to  de- 
mand that  no  evil  shall  be  said  of  him  who 
preserved  it." 

"Will  you  deny  me  the  right  to  clear  myself 


Forced  Seclusion  217 

from  all  suspicion  ?  This  can  be  done  only  by 
proving  that  Schorn  himself  cut  the  rope." 

"No  one  has  suspected  you  except  Franz 
Schorn,  and  to  me  alone  has  he  expressed  his 
suspicion.  I  am  sure  that  the  breaking  of  the 
rope  was  an  accident.  I  shall  not  allow  sus- 
picion to  attach  to  any  one,  either  to  you  or 
to  Schorn.  I  require  of  you  to  return  to  me 
the  pieces  of  rope  and  to  be  silent  to  the 
Attorney  General  concerning  the  whole  mat- 
ter; the  affair  concerns  myself  alone." 

Herr  Foligno  made  many  objections  to  my 
demand.  I  found  it  difficult  to  soothe  him; 
he  was  so  indignant  with  Schorn  for  showing 
me  the  ends  as  proof  against  him.  He  burned 
with  the  desire  for  revenge  for  such  an  insult, 
and  I  succeeded  only  with  great  trouble  and 
much  entreaty  in  persuading  him  to  be  silent 
and  to  return  to  me  the  ends  of  rope. 

He  remained  until  far  into  the  night — a 
civility  I  could  easily  have  dispensed  with.  I 
was  not  comfortable  in  his  society.  I  tried  in 
vain  to  talk  on  indifferent  subjects;  he  per- 
sisted in  returning  to  the  adventure  in  the 
cave  and  always  with  an  attempt  to  cast  fur- 
ther suspicion  upon  Schorn.  His  hatred  for 


218  The  Lonely  House 

Franz  and  his  indignation  at  what  Franz  had 
said  to  me  was  so  great  that  he  could  think  of 
nothing  else.  He  would  have  tormented  me, 
I  believe,  until  daybreak  with  his  accusations 
and  his  discussions  of  the  matter ;  but  at  last 
I  frankly  told  him  that  I  had  need  of  repose, 
and  then  he  bade  me  good-night. 


CHAPTER  XII.  ^ 

AN  ARREST. 

I  HAD  to  undergo  a  long  examination.  The 
investigating  Judge  and  the  Attorney  General 
came  from  Laibach.  Immediately  after  re- 
ceiving Herr  Foligno's  deposition,  they  de- 
termined to  take  the  very  uncomfortable 
journey  to  Luttach  to  hear  for  themselves 
from  witnesses  on  the  spot  all  that  was  known 
regarding  Franz  Schorn's  actions  and  where- 
abouts during  the  last  few  weeks.  The  inves- 
tigating Judge  told  me  of  this  with  all  the 
courtesy  of  an  Austrian  official.  With  entire 
lack  of  reserve,  he  informed  me  that  although 
Herr  Foligno's  carefully  prepared  paper  was 
quite  sufficient  to  attach  suspicion  to  Schorn, 
it  did  not  at  all  suffice  to  convince  him  of  the 
young  man's  guilt.  He  requested  me  to  tell 
everything  that  I  knew  of  Schorn  and  to  hold 
back  nothing  out  of  regard  for  the  man  who, 
as  he  had  already  heard  in  Adelsberg,  had 
saved  my  life.  It  was  my  duty  to  tell  not  only 
the  truth,  but  the  whole  truth. 

[219] 


220  The  Lonely  House 

The  Judge  was  a  handsome,  kindly  man,  so 
courteous  that  he  would  not  have  me  sum- 
moned for  my  examination  to  the  court  house, 
but  took  down  my  deposition  in  my  room. 
Yet  with  all  his  amiability  and  in  spite  of  the 
sympathy  which  he  apparently  felt  for  Franz 
Schorn,  his  inquiries  were  frightfully  search- 
ing; he  forced  me  to  tell  him  more  than  I 
wished  to. 

I  had  intended  at  this  hearing  to  confine 
myself  to  what  I  had  dictated  in  the  Judge's 
deposition,  but  I  could  not  keep  my  resolu- 
tion. When  the  Judge  asked  me  if  Franz 
Schorn,  of  whom  I  had  seen  much  in  the  last 
few  weeks,  had  never  told  me  his  reason  for 
avoiding  me  in  the  forest,  I  could  not  reply  in 
the  negative,  and  I  was  forced  to  assent,  and 
to  relate  the  conversation  I  had  had  with 
Franz  and  his  betrothed.  I  could  not  conceal 
that  each  had  requested  me  to  say  nothing 
of  the  meeting  in  the  forest.  Such  an  in- 
terview as  this  of  mine  with  the  Judge  is  very 
curious.  The  witness  knows  that  every  word 
he  utters  is  upon  his  oath,  and  also  that  it 
may  decide  the  fate  of  a  fellow  mortal.  Every 
consideration  vanishes  before  such  a  respon- 


An  Arrest  221 

sibility,  and  I  could  have  none  for  the  Judge. 
I  had  to  acknowledge  to  my  examiner  that 
Anna  and  Franz  had  given  as  a  reason  of  the 
request  for  my  silence  that  the  Judge's  hatred 
of  the  young  man  was  so  intense  that  he 
would  surely  use  my  meeting  with  Franz  as 
evidence  against  him. 

The  Judge  shook  his  head  thoughtfully  on 
hearing  this ;  he  evidently  did  not  credit  their 
explanation.  Had  I  cherished  no  suspicion? 
Had  it  never  occurred  to  me  as  odd  that 
Franz  Schorn  should  have  wounded  his  hand? 
I  could  not  deny  that  such  a  suspicion  had 
occurred  to  me,  but  I  could  declare  with  a 
good  conscience  that  it  had  vanished  entirely 
after  I  had  come  to  know  Schorn  better. 

What  was  the  reason  that  after  this  first 
awakening  of  suspicion  I  had  not  informed 
the  authorities  of  my  meeting  with  the  young 
man  in  the  neighborhood  I  Why  had  I  with- 
held this  information  until  the  day  before  yes- 
terday? This  keen  questioning  forced  me  to 
an  exact  reply.  I  told  of  how  I  had  desired  to 
give  information  immediately  of  my  meeting 
with  Schorn,  and  I  gave  Herr  Foligno's  rea- 
son for  begging  me  not  to  insert  it  in  an 


222  The  Lonely  House 

official  deposition,  and  as  a  natural  conse- 
quence I  related  the  reasoning  by  which  he 
had  induced  me  to  render  to  him  my  official 
statement. 

"Strange;  very  strange,"  said  the  Judge, 
more  to  himself  than  to  me.  "Herr  Foligno 
has  allowed  personal  considerations,  personal 
feelings  to  influence  his  official  action.  Very 
unjustifiable!" 

He  was  silent  for  a  while  and  then  ques- 
tioned me  further  with  continued  and  fright- 
ful thoroughness.  I  did  not  wish  to  speak  of 
the  adventure  in  the  cave,  but  when  the  inter- 
view was  over,  I  had  told  everything  that  I 
knew  about  my  fall,  my  rescue,  and  the  accu- 
sations made  by  Schorn  and  the  Judge  with 
regard  to  the  cut  ends  of  rope.  After  the 
official  paper  had  been  read  to  me  and  I  had 
signed  it,  the  Judge  offered  me  his  hand. 

"Your  testimony  has  been  of  the  greatest 
importance, Herr  Professor, "he  said  gravely. 
"You  have  so  far  confirmed  suspicion  against 
Schorn  that  the  young  man's  arrest  is  an  un- 
avoidable necessity,  but  at  the  same  time 
you  have  proved  to  me  that  an  influence  has 
been  at  work  in  this  unfortunate  affair  which 


An  Arrest  223 

I  must  investigate  further.  Whatever  may  be 
the  true  history  of  the  strange  adventure  in 
the  cave,  Schorn  undoubtedly  saved  your  life 
and  you  owe  him  gratitude  for  it.  If  you  wish 
to  testify  this,  you  can  do  so  by  preserving 
profound  silence  with  regard  to  your  testi- 
mony of  to-day  as  well  towards  the  friends  as 
to  the  foes  of  Herr  Schorn,  and,  of  course,  to 
Judge  Foligno.  He  has  nothing  to  do  further 
with  the  official  investigation ;  he  must  in  his 
turn  appear  as  a  witness,  and  it  is  especially 
desirable  for  the  establishment  of  the  truth 
that  your  testimony  with  regard  to  him  should 
remain  unknown.  May  I  hope  that  you  will 
promise  me  inviolable  secrecy  towards  Herr 
Foligno,  Herr  Professor?" 

"Certainly,  most  willingly;  but  what  am  I 
to  reply  when  Herr  Foligno  questions  me! 
He  wanted  to  send  you  an  account  of  the  ad- 
venture in  the  cave,  and  only  desisted  at  my 
express  desire." 

"Do  not  let  this  consideration  influence 
you.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  in  the 
investigation  that  the  Judge  should  know 
nothing  of  your  testimony  with  regard  to  the 
adventure  in  the  cave.  If  he  asks  you,  tell 


224  The  Lonely  House 

him  the  simple  truth;  it  is  unlawful  for  wit- 
nesses to  discuss  together  their  testimony, 
and  he  is  henceforth  a  witness  like  yourself. 
Tell  him  that  I  told  you  this,  and  that  I  en- 
joined it  upon  you  to  refuse  even  the  slightest 
information  with  regard  to  your  testimony." 

With  this  counsel,  which  I  determined  to 
follow  implicitly,  the  Judge  took  his  leave.  He 
left  me  in  an  indescribable  agitation,  which 
increased  when  the  District  Judge  paid  me  a 
visit  immediately  after.  He  came,  as  he  told 
me  frankly,  to  learn  how  the  investigating 
Judge  had  received  my  testimony.  When  I 
told  him  of  the  promise  which  I  had  given,  he 
was  greatly  surprised. 

"I!  A  witness  like  all  the  rest?"  he  cried 
indignantly.  '  *  These  government  officials  are 
so  puffed  up  with  pride  and  self-conceit  that 
they  don't  know  what  they  are  about.  They 
owe  to  me,  to  my  activity,  to  my  research, 
every  ray  of  light  cast  upon  the  darkness  of 
the  crime,  and  now  they  push  me  aside,  rob 
me  of  the  reward  of  my  discovery,  and  regard 
me  as  a  simple  witness;  but  they  shall  not 
succeed ;  I  will  not  submit ;  and  you,  too,  Herr 
Professor,  you  need  not  feel  yourself  bound 


An  Arrest  225 

by  a  promise  which  no  one  had  a  right  to 
exact  from  you ;  you  may  without  fear  tell  me 
anything  that  you  desire." 

"I  do  not  know  whether  I  should  be  justi- 
fied in  doing  so  or  not,"  I  replied,  shrugging 
my  shoulders.  "I  do  not  know  the  Austrian 
laws,  but  I  am  well  aware  that  if  I  have  un- 
dertaken no  legal  responsibility,  a  moral  one 
rests  upon  me  not  to  speak  of  my  testimony 
after  the  promise  which  I  have  given.  You 
must  pardon  me,  Herr  Foligno,  if  I  preserve 
absolute  silence. ' ' 

He  looked  at  me  angrily  and  evilly.  "As 
you  please;  I  shall  make  no  further  request 
of  you,"  he  said  after  a  little  pause.  "One 
thing  I  have  a  right  to  demand  of  you  in  a 
matter  which  concerns  me  personally.  Have 
you " 

"I  regret  that  I  can  make  no  reply  to  any 
question,  whatever  it  may  be.  My  promise 
to  be  silent  was  given  unconditionally." 

He  cast  at  me  a  glance  full  of  rage  and  left 
the  room  without  saying  farewell.  I  had 
deeply  offended  him  by  my  persistent  refusal. 
I  sat  alone  with  a  heavy  heart,  discontented 
with  myself.  I  had  offended  the  man  who 

15 


226  The  Lonely  House 

had  been  so  kind  and  courteous  to  me  during 
my  stay  in  Luttach,  and  I  had  also  placed  him 
in  a  perilous  position  by  my  testimony  to  his 
superior.  This  was  a  very  disagreeable 
thought.  He  was  not  aware  of  it,  but  when 
he  learned  it,  would  he  not  have  a  right 
to  be  angry  with  me  and  to  accuse  me  of  a 
breach  of  confidence?  I  had  strengthened 
suspicion  against  Franz  Schorn,  the  saviour 
of  my  life.  It  was  my  fault  that  the  young 
man  was  now  threatened  with  the  loss  of  his 
liberty.  I  was  provoked  with  myself  for  my 
imprudent  and  frank  expressions,  and  yet 
again,  when  I  reflected  on  the  late  examina- 
tion and  the  questioning  I  had  undergone,  I 
could  not  have  answered  differently  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  truth.  I  had  surely  only 
fulfilled  my  duty  as  a  witness.  In  the  deepest 
anxiety  and  with  torturing  impatience  I 
awaited  further  developments.  It  was  des- 
perately hard  to  lie  there  and  have  cold  band- 
ages on  my  sprained  ankle.  I  would  have 
given  anything  to  be  able  to  do  something,  or 
that  the  visitors  whom  I  had  found  so  tire- 
some yesterday  would  return  to-day,  but  I 
was,  and  remained,  alone,  confined  to  my  bed. 


An  Arrest  227 

Two  hours  passed.  At  last  quick  footsteps 
approached  my  door.  Mizka  entered  breath- 
less, her  cheeks  crimson,  her  eyes  glowing,  to 
tell  me  of  what  was  the  talk  at  present  of  all 
Luttach.  Franz  Schorn  was  the  murderer  of 
old  Pollenz.  The  gentlemen  from  Laibach 
had  been  searching  Schorn 's  house  at  his 
farm  outside  the  town,  and  had  found  quanti- 
ties of  money,  banknotes,  and  stock,  and  gov- 
ernment bonds  and  other  papers  of  value,  all 
the  wealth  of  the  murdered  man.  Neverthe- 
less Franz  had  denied  everything,  declaring 
that  he  was  innocent,  but  his  brazen  false- 
hood had  done  him  no  good;  he  had  been 
arrested,  his  hands  fettered,  and  thus  man- 
acled had  been  brought  between  two  gen- 
darmes to  Luttach.  As  he  passed  the  house 
of  the  doctor,  his  betrothed  was  sitting  at  the 
window.  She  had  seen  him  and  had  rushed 
down  into  the  street.  She  had  embraced  him 
before  everybody — he,  the  murderer  of  her 
father !  The  gendarmes  were  obliged  to  un- 
clasp her  arms.  She  had  not  wept  a  tear; 
she  had  looked  up  at  him  with  sparkling  eyes 
when  the  gendarmes  bore  him  away. 

"Do  not  despair,  Franz,"  she  had  called 


228  The  Lonely  House 

after  him.  '  *  God  will  not  suffer  the  innocent 
to  be  condemned." 

Then  she  had  quietly  gone  with  the  doctor, 
who  led  her  back  into  the  house.  Franz, 
however,  had  walked  on  between  the  gen- 
darmes, his  eyes  cast  gloomily  on  the  ground. 
He  had  replied  not  a  word  to  the  abuse  which 
was  showered  on  him  from  all  sides. 

"Murderer!"  "Dog  of  a  German!"  and 
other  insulting  epithets  had  been  hurled  after 
him  by  an  increasing  crowd  of  common  peo- 
ple. He  did  not  seem  even  to  hear  them.  The 
people  were  so  excited  against  him,  so  infuri- 
ated that  the  gendarmes  had  the  greatest 
trouble  in  shielding  him  from  their  attack, 
and  could  hardly  have  succeeded  in  doing  so 
if  the  Judge  himself  had  not  protected  him 
from  a  couple  of  savage  fellows,  two  labour- 
ers who  had  been  dismissed  from  Schorn's 
farm  and  would  gladly  have  revenged  them- 
selves upon  their  former  master  for  their 
dismissal.  By  earnest  admonition  and  threats 
of  punishment  the  Judge  had  succeeded  in 
quieting  the  mob,  assuring  the  people  that  the 
murderer  would  not  escape  justice.  He  ac- 
companied the  prisoner  to  the  court  house, 


An  Arrest  229 

receiving  no  thanks  from  him  for  his  protec- 
tion. Not  a  word  did  Franz  address  to  him. 

Upon  an  order  from  Herr  Foligno,  Herr 
Gunther  provided  a  vehicle  and  horses,  and, 
accompanied  by  the  two  gendarmes,  bore  off 
the  manacled  prisoner.  The  Judge  said  he 
would  be  taken  to  prison  in  Laibach  and  kept 
there  until  the  court  assembled,  when  he 
would  be  certainly  tried  as  a  murderer  and 
hanged. 

All  this  Mizka  detailed  to  me  in  the  greatest 
agitation.  Evidently  she  felt  much  satisfac- 
tion in  the  discovery  of  the  murderer,  and 
that  it  should  be  precisely  Franz  Schorn, 
whom  every  one  hated,  who  was  now  deliv- 
ered over  to  the  law.  Not  a  word  of  sym- 
pathy did  the  girl,  usually  so  good-humoured, 
have  for  the  unfortunate  man ;  not  a  doubt  of 
his  guilt  stirred  within  her ;  with  a  triumphant 
smile  she  left  me  after  she  had  told  her  news. 

"The  voice  of  the  people  is  the  voice  of 
God,"  the  Judge  had  once  said.  The  doctor 
had  replied,  "The  people's  gossip  is  the  voice 
of  the  devil."  Was  the  Judge  now  proved  to 
be  right  ?  The  proof  of  Schorn 's  guilt  seemed 
to  grow  clearer,  and  yet,  strangely  enough, 


230  The  Lonely  House 

my  doubt  of  it  grew  stronger  with  every  hour. 
My  reason  told  me  that  there  could  be  no 
room  for  doubt,  now  that  upon  searching  his 
house  the  booty  had  been  discovered,  but  my 
heart  rebelled  against  even  this  proof.  I  felt 
for  the  first  time  that  I  had  taken  more  than 
a  fleeting  interest  in  the  young  man,  that 
there  had  been  between  us  a  heartfelt  sym- 
pathy which  forbade  me  in  the  face  of  all 
proof  yet  adduced,  to  believe  in  the  possibil- 
ity of  his  guilt. 

I  was  not  long  left  to  my  melancholy  reflec- 
tions. A  visitor  interrupted  them.  The 
Burgomaster  came,  not  only  to  inquire  after 
my  welfare,  but  to  tell  me  of  the  discoveries 
made  with  regard  to  Schorn  and  of  all  that 
had  been  going  on  in  the  town  while  I  lay 
bedridden.  He  had  not  yet  left  me  before 
another  visitor  appeared,  and  he  was  followed 
by  a  third  and  a  fourth.  All  the  evening 
cronies  of  the  round  table  made  up  for  their 
absence  in  the  morning,  and  through  the  en- 
tire afternoon  I  was  not  again  alone.  All  my 
visitors  brought  melancholy  confirmation  of 
what  Mizka  had  told  me.  Even  the  Captain 
and  the  Burgomaster  were  now  convinced  of 


An  Arrest  231 

Schorn's  guilt,  and  acknowledged  their  con- 
viction openly.  The  search  in  his  house  had 
brought  much  to  light;  so  much  money  had 
been  found  that  it  was  impossible  to  believe 
Franz  had  come  by  it  honestly.  His  very 
conduct  told  against  him — his  bare-faced  de- 
nial, as  well  as  his  unbroken  silence  when  no 
credit  was  given  to  his  words.  There  was 
but  one  opinion  as  to  his  guilt,  and  also  as  to 
the  behaviour  of  the  Judge.  Even  the  Judge's 
opponents  declared  that  Franz  owed  his 
escape  from  the  indignant  mob  to  his  mag- 
nanimous protection.  There  was  also  but 
one  voice  with  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the 
Laibach  court.  It  had  been  admirable,  par- 
ticularly that  of  the  investigating  Judge,  who 
in  a  single  day  had  discovered  every  particu- 
lar concerning  Schorn's  life  during  the  last 
few  weeks.  Almost  all  the  gentlemen  and  a 
number  of  other  people  besides,  as  well  as 
Bela  and  Rassak,  had  been  examined  by  him. 
The  officials  had  said  nothing  of  the  result  of 
their  evidence,  and  had  enjoined  the  strictest 
silence  upon  the  witnesses,  who,  however, 
were  at  liberty  to  declare  that  they  considered 
Franz  Schorn  guilty,  and  they  did  so.  The 


232  The  Lonely  House 

Clerk  alone,  Herr  von  Einern,  prudently 
withheld  his  opinion  in  the  matter. 

Did  the  doctor  also  believe  in  Franz 
Schorn's  guilt!  He  and  the  Judge  were  the 
only  ones  who  paid  me  no  visit  on  this  day. 
The  Judge  probably  could  not  forget  my  re- 
fusal to  answer  his  questions,  and  was  still 
offended.  I  was  at  heart  very  glad  that  he 
did  not  come.  His  visit  could  have  given  rise 
only  to  unpleasant  discussions ;  but  the  doctor 
I  should  like  to  have  seen,  partly  to  obtain 
medical  advice  for  the  night,  and  partly  to 
learn  his  opinion  of  the  discoveries  concern- 
ing Schorn.  My  wish  was  fulfilled  late  in  the 
evening,  when  it  was  nearly  nine  o'clock. 
The  doctor  came,  but  he  was  not  alone.  To 
my  great  surprise  he  was  accompanied  by 
Anna  Pollenz.  My  astonishment  when  I  saw 
the  lovely  Anna  enter  the  room  on  the  arm  of 
her  old  friend  must  have  been  mirrored  in  my 
face,  for  Anna  blushed,  and  the  doctor,  with 
his  characteristic  short  laugh,  which  I  was 
always  glad  to  hear,  said: 

"You  wonder  at  this  strange  visit  so  late 
in  the  evening,  Herr  Professor.  Well,  you  are 
right.  This  little  girl  might  as  well  have 


An  Arrest  233 

come  to  you  to-morrow  morning,  at  a  more 
fitting  time;  but  she  gave  me  no  rest  until  I 
complied  with  her  wish  and  brought  her  to 
you.  If  I  had  not  consented  she  might  per- 
haps have  come  all  alone,  and  have  given 
occasion  for  all  sorts  of  gossip  in  Luttach. 
The  entire -population  of  the  town  has  run 
mad ;  even  the  most  sensible  are  infected  with 
the  nonsense  which  is  heard  on  all  sides.  I 
could  not  have  believed  it,  but  since  Franz's 
arrest  and  removal  to  Laibach,  even  the  Cap- 
tain and  the  Burgomaster  have  lost  faith  in 
him  and  consider  him  guilty,  and  yet  every- 
thing adduced  against  him  is  thorough,  un- 
mitigated bosh.  Not  a  word  of  it  is  true.  The 
gentlemen  from  Laibach  are  principally  to 
blame,  with  their  arrest.  They  would  hardly 
have  proceeded  to  such  extremities  if  the 
Judge  had  not  taken  care  that  they  should 
hear  from  all  sides  the  falsehoods  invented  by 
himself.  This  poor  little  girl  has  had  a 
frightful  day.  Not  only  has  her  Franz  been 
arrested — that  is  not  the  worst,  for  he  will 
very  soon  be  free  again — but  all  the  world, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Clerk  and  myself, 
believe  in  Franz's  guilt,  and  people  are  not 


234  The  Lonely  House 

ashamed  to  declare  this  openly.  This  makes 
my  little  Anna  desperate.  '  The  Herr  Profes- 
sor, who  loves  Franz  so  much,  cannot  think 
him  guilty,'  she  said,  and  insisted  upon  com- 
ing to  you.  I  could  not  but  do  as  she  asked, 
and  here  we  are.  "Well,  perhaps  it  is  all  right ; 
the  poor  child  will  not  speak  here  to  deaf 
ears,  and  will  be  soothed  to  see  that  every  one 
does  not  consider  Franz  a  murderer  and  thief. 
Sit  down,  my  child,  here  in  this  chair,  and 
pour  out  your  heart  to  the  Herr  Professor. 
He  will  listen  to  you  kindly. ' ' 

I  had  been  observing  Anna  during  this  long 
introduction.  Her  colour  changed  from  red 
to  pale  and  then  to  red  again  as  the  old  doctor 
continued.  Her  eyes  sparkled  as  she  turned 
to  me,  and  she  gazed  at  me  with  an  imploring 
expression  in  them.  She  was  wonderfully 
lovely.  My  heart  gave  a  throb.  Was  I  alto- 
gether free  from  blame  ? 

Anna  seated  herself  at  her  old  friend's  bid- 
ding beside  my  bed  and  gazed  at  me  with  a 
long,  searching  look  in  her  dark  eyes,  as  if  to 
read  in  my  face  the  possibility  of  my  think- 
ing her  Franz  guilty. 

"You  cannot  mistrust  him,  Herr  Profes- 


An  Arrest  235 

sor,"  she  said,  "he  has  such  a  regard  for  you, 
and  he  saved  your  life." 

There  was  not  much  logic  in  these  words, 
but  they  made  me  ashamed  of  myself  never- 
theless. Franz  could  not  be  guilty  unless  she 
were  his  accomplice,  and  I  had  almost  be- 
lieved in  his  guilt.  I  could  not  endure  the 
look  of  those  pure,  clear  eyes;  my  own 
dropped  before  them.  I  was  ashamed. 

' '  If  all  the  rest  think  him  guilty, ' '  she  con- 
tinued in  a  tone  of  firm  conviction,  "you  can- 
not. You  believe  in  him,  and  you  must  feel 
it  your  duty  to  do  everything  you  can  to 
prove  his  innocence,  for  he  saved  your  life. 
Therefore  I  come  to  you;  I  wished  to  speak 
to  you  before  to-morrow.  I  shall  sleep 
quietly,  for  I  know  that  you  will  stand  by  me. 
Franz  told  me  yesterday  evening  that  the 
Judge  had  tried  to  take  your  life;  that  he  is 
your  worst  enemy.  You  will  counsel  me  truly 
when  I  have  confided  to  you  a  secret  which  I 
have  kept  until  now,  a  suspicion  which  I  have 
not  ventured  to  utter  even  to  my  dearest 
friend  and  relative." 

"Speak,  dear  child,"  I  replied,  taking  her 
hand  and  pressing  it  cordially.  "I  assure 


236  The  Lonely  House 

you  that  I  have  no  dearer  wish  than  to  estab- 
lish the  innocence  of  the  saviour  of  my  life. ' ' 

"I  know  it  and  will  trust  you,"  she  replied 
frankly.  "You  and  my  kind  friend,  the  doc- 
tor, both  of  you  shall  counsel  me,"  she  con- 
tinued, clasping  my  hand  in  one  of  hers  and 
extending  the  other  to  the  doctor. 

"What  do  you  mean,  you  strange  child?" 
the  doctor  cried.  "If  you  have  a  secret  upon 
your  soul,  you  ought  to  have  told  me  of  it  long 
ago.  If  you  needed  counsel,  you  could  always 
have  had  it  from  me." 

"I  did  not  dare  to.  Franz  forbade  me. 
Franz  himself  did  not  believe  me  until  yester- 
day evening.  He  is  innocent.  He  always  said 
that  my  fear  of  Herr  Foligno  and  my  detesta- 
tion of  him  misled  me." 

' '  Of  whom  are  you  speaking,  child  ? ' '  asked 
the  doctor. 

Instead  of  answering,  Anna  turned  to  me. 

"When  you  reached  the  Lonely  House  on 
that  terrible  day,  Herr  Professor,  did  you 
not  see  in  its  neighbourhood  another  man  be- 
side Franz  I"  she  asked. 

"No.    No  one." 

"I  did  not  mean  near  the  house  itself,  but 


An  Arrest  237 

on  the  upper  path,  the  one  leading  along  the 
rocks  to  Luttach!" 

"I  saw  no  one  there  either." 

"You  did  not  see  him!  I  am  sorry.  Franz 
was  sure  yesterday  that  you  did." 

"But  who  in  all  the  world  should  the  Pro- 
fessor have  seen?"  asked  the  doctor  curi- 
ously. 

"The  Judge,"  Anna  replied.  "I  was  sure 
I  saw  him,  but  I  would  not  say  so  decidedly, 
and  Franz,  until  yesterday,  thought  I  might 
be  mistaken  and  would  not  allow  me  to  found 
an  unjust  suspicion  upon  an  uncertain  fact." 

The  doctor  was  as  astonished  and  startled 
as  was  I  by  Anna's  words.  He  desired  to 
know  more  from  her,  and  when  I  begged  the 
young  girl  to  give  us  her  full  confidence  and 
to  tell  us  all  that  she  knew  and  believed,  she 
yielded  to  our  request  and  related  what  had 
lain  so  long  upon  her  heart. 

"When  on  that  dreadful  day  Anna  had  left 
home  and  was  going  down  the  path  with  her 
old  Johanna  to  Luttach,  she  looked  up  by 
chance  where  the  oaks  grew  thin  and  saw  on 
the  upper  pathway  a  man  approaching  the 
Lonely  House.  She  thought  she  recognized 


238  The  Lonely  House 

the  Judge,  but  she  could  not  be  certain,  for 
she  had  seen  the  figure  only  for  a  moment 
and  had  taken  no  trouble  to  recognize  it,  since 
she  attached  no  importance  to  what  she  saw. 
The  Judge  had  often  gone  to  her  father  and 
had  usually  taken  the  upper  pathway,  where- 
fore she  did  not  think  of  it  again.  Only 
upon  hearing  the  terrible  news  of  the  mur- 
der of  her  father  was  the  strange  suspicion 
suddenly  aroused  within  her  that  the  Judge 
was  the  murderer,  and  this  suspicion  had  been 
gradually  confirmed.  To  hardly  one  other 
human  being  except  to  his  friend  the  Judge, 
would  her  father  have  opened  the  locked 
front  door.  While  he  was  alone  he  would 
have  admitted  no  other.  The  Judge  had 
known  that  her  father  had  large  sums  of 
money  in  the  house  and  was  quite  familiar 
with  the  place  where  they  would  be  found. 

'  *  But  had  I  a  right  upon  such  slight  grounds 
to  found  a  suspicion  of  a  respectable  man? 
I  asked  myself,"  Anna  proceeded.  ''I  an- 
swered no,  but  in  spite  of  this  'no*  I  could 
not  combat  my  thoughts,  and  it  was  most  ter- 
rible for  me  that  I  myself  was  partly  to  blame 
for  my  father's  death  if  my  suspicion  were 


An  Arrest  239 

correct.  The  day  before  the  Judge  had  come 
to  visit  my  father,  and  had  not  found  him  at 
home.  My  father  had  left  word,  however,  that 
he  would  soon  return,  and  I  thought  I  ought 
to  tell  this  to  the  visitor  because  it  might  have 
provoked  my  father  to  know  that  I  had 
turned  away  his  friend.  The  Judge  then 
begged  my  permission  to  wait,  and  when  I 
gave  it  reluctantly,  he  sat  down  by  me  in  my 
room  and  began  a  conversation.  During  this 
conversation  I  told  him  that  my  father  had 
gone  to  Luttach  to  get  papers  of  value  from 
the  post.  He  would  not  send  old  Johanna 
because  the  sum  in  question  was  too  large  to 
be  entrusted  to  so  old  a  woman.  The  Judge 
knew  also  from  me  that  my  father  had  much 
money  in  the  house,  and  that  I  was  going  on 
the  following  day  to  visit  my  Aunt  Laucic  in 
Luttach,  when  Johanna  would  accompany  me, 
so  that  after  eleven  o'clock  he  might  see  my 
father  alone.  All  this  I  told  him,  and  it  all 
recurred  to  my  mind.  I  had  myself  told  the 
murderer  when  his  victim  would  be  alone  and 
when  he  could  commit  the  deed." 

In  her  distress  Anna  went  on  to  say  that 
she  did  not  venture  to  mention  her  suspicion 


240  The  Lonely  House 

to  the  Captain — he  was  a  friend  of  the  Judge's 
— and  only  to  her  betrothed,  from  whom  she 
kept  no  secrets,  did  she  tell  what  was  in  her 
mind.  He  begged  her,  however,  not  to  con- 
fide in  any  other  human  being.  Franz  de- 
clared that  the  Judge  was  not  capable  of  such 
villainy.  He  tried  to  prove  to  her  that  her 
suspicions  were  groundless.  "Does  not  he 
often  climb  about  the  rocks?"  he  asked. 
"Even  had  he  been  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Lonely  House,  that  ought  to  be  no  ground 
of  suspicion  against  him,  for  I  myself  was 
met  by  the  Herr  Professor  in  the  forest,  as  I 
was  prowling  about  in  hopes  of  meeting  you. ' ' 
When  her  lover  said  this,  Anna  was  seized 
with  a  dreadful  anxiety  lest  he  might  really 
be  suspected,  and  Franz,  too,  could  under- 
stand that  he  was  in  peril.  He  knew  how  he 
was  disliked,  and  how  any  opportunity  would 
be  seized  to  do  him  harm. 

Franz  had  insisted,  however,  that  the 
Judge  was  incapable  of  the  murder,  and  he 
had  forbidden  Anna  to  say  one  word  further 
upon  the  subject.  '  *  Because  he  is  my  enemy, ' ' 
he  told  her;  "because  he  is  always  circulating 
damaging  reports  of  me  behind  my  back,  we 


An  Arrest  241 

must  take  care  not  to  be  unjust  towards  him." 
He  had  spoken  thus  until  yesterday,  but  when 
he  returned  from  the  expedition  to  the  cave 
and  told  Anna  of  his  adventure  there,  he  had 
suddenly  changed  his  opinion  with  regard  to 
what  she  had  always  thought.  "It  is  beyond 
doubt,"  he  said,  "that  the  Judge  cut  the  rope. 
What  reason  could  he  have  for  such  an  act? 
He  wished  to  plunge  the  Professor  into  the 
abyss.  I  am  now  convinced  that  the  Profes- 
sor saw  him  also  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Lonely  House.  You  were  not  deceived  when 
you  recognized  him  on  the  upper  pathway. 
He  fears  that  the  Professor  may  betray  him, 
and  wishes  to  put  so  dangerous  a  witness 
out  of  the  way.  There  could  be  no  other 
reason  for  his  infamous  attempt  upon  the 
life  of  the  kind  old  man,  whose  friend  he  pre- 
tends to  be.  He  planned  a  murder,  and  now 
I  can  believe  also  that  he  is  the  murderer  of 
your  father.  Let  him  take  care ;  I  shall  speak 
to  the  Professor.  I  will  tell  him  of  your  sus- 
picion; he  will  tell  me  whether  he  saw  the 
Judge  that  day."  But  Franz  soon  after  was 
arrested  and  Anna  felt  it  her  duty  to  do  what 
he  had  wished  to  do. 

16 


242  The  Lonely  House 

' '  That  is  why  I  am  come  to  you,  Herr  Pro- 
fessor," she  concluded;  "you  must  counsel 
me.  You  must  help  me  to  discover  the  real 
criminal  and  to  set  an  innocent  man  at  lib- 
erty." 

While  Anna  had  been  speaking,  the  doctor, 
who  had  also  seated  himself  beside  my  bed, 
had  been  continually  getting  up  and  sitting 
down  again,  possessed  by  a  feverish  restless- 
ness, although  listening  in  silence  to  every 
word  spoken  by  the  young  girl.  Now  that 
Anna  had  finished,  he  exclaimed : 

"Do  you  want  to  drive  two  old  men  crazy 
with  your  deuce  of  a  story?  Child,  have  you 
had  such  thoughts  in  your  head  and  heart  for 
weeks  and  never  said  a  word  of  them  ?  Think 
of  what  might  have  been  done  in  those  weeks ! 
Think  of  how  suspicion  might  have  been 
turned  in  other  directions!  You  are  sure, 
Herr  Professor,  that  you  did  not  see  the 
Judge  on  the  rocky  pathway?" 

"I  am  sure  of  it." 

"But  may  he  not  have  been  there  without 
your  seeing  him,  or  are  you  sure  that  he  was 
not  there?" 

"I  believe  that  he  was  there." 


•'YOU  MX'ST  HELP  ME!" 


An  Arrest  243 

"And  what  reason  have  you  for  your  be- 
lief! Out  with  it,  Herr  Prof essor !  The  scales 
are  falling  from  my  eyes.  I  begin  to  see 
clearly.  This  deuce  of  a  girl  has  enlightened 
my  stupidity,  but  what  is  the  use  of  my  see- 
ing? Franz  and  the  child  have  both  shown 
confidence  in  you,  and  you  must  justify  it. 
Out  with  what  you  know  without  any  re- 
serve!" 

He  was  right;  I  could  not  be  silent.  The 
half  promise  which  I  had  once  given  to  the 
Judge  to  protect  him  from  any  chaffing  to 
which  he  might  be  subjected  with  regard  to 
the  pocket  handkerchief  found  where  it  had 
been  could  not  bind  me.  I  told  of  my  finding 
the  bloody  handkerchief  and  of  the  Judge's 
explanation. 

"It  is  he!  It  is  he  and  no  other!"  ex- 
claimed the  doctor,  quite  beside  himself. 
"Did  I  not  always  say  that  the  murderer 
must  have  been  an  intimate  friend  of  the  old 
man?  Oh,  blind  fool  that  I  have  been !  Why 
did  I  not  think  of  him,  when  for  two  weeks 
he  wore  a  black  glove  on  his  right  hand  ?  He 
had  good  reason  to  wish  to  see  you  vanish  in 
the  abyss.  You,  who  could  bring  such  evi- 


244  The  Lonely  House 

dence  against  him.  And  you  fell  into  his  trap, 
and  have  been  silent  all  this  while,  without 
harbouring  any  suspicion  of  him!  For 
shame,  Herr  Professor!  No,  you  need  not 
be  ashamed  of  yourself,  you  kind,  old,  un- 
suspicious man ;  but  I  could  tear  my  hair  for 
being  such  a  fool  and  letting  him  lead  me  by 
the  nose  as  he  has  done." 

"Are  you  sure  now  that  you  are  not  deceiv- 
ing yourself?"  I  asked  very  gravely.  My 
heart  was  beating  violently.  There  is  some- 
thing fearful  in  such  a  suspicion.  Suddenly 
as  it  had  arisen,  it  had  now  entire  possession 
of  me;  but  had  I  not  entertained  the  same, 
and  perhaps  with  more  reason,  of  Franz 
Schorn?  Could  I  trust  myself  since  I  had 
once  deceived  myself! 
No  such  reflections  troubled  the  doctor : 
"I  am  so  convinced,"  he  said,  clapping  his 
hands  as  if  in  triumph,  ' '  that  I  would  myself 
condemn  the  fellow  to  be  hanged,  if  it  lay  in 
my  province  to  do  so.  Hanged  he  shall  be,  I 
promise  you,  little  girl,  and  we  will  take  your 
Franz  in  triumph  from  the  prison  in  Laibach 
and  carry  him  home.  How  it  is  to  be  done,  I 
do  not  see  at  present ;  but,  rely  upon  it,  I  will 


An  Arrest  245 

do  it.  I  will  follow  the  murderer's  tracks  like 
a  bloodhound.  He  has  no  idea  that  he  is  sus- 
pected, and  that  I  have  discovered  his  plots. 
He  shall  find  it  out,  but  only  when  we  are 
taking  Franz  from  prison  in  Laibach.  Until 
then  not  a  word  to  anybody,  Herr  Professor. ' ' 

"Is  it  not  our  duty  to  inform  the  court  in 
Laibach  of  what  we  suspect  and  of  our 
grounds  for  doing  so!" 

"Not  a  word  in  that  quarter.  With  all 
due  reverence  for  the  gentlemen  in  Laibach, 
the  Judges  and  the  Attorney  General ;  before 
they  can  make  up  their  minds  to  believe  that  a 
colleague,  a  District  Judge,  is  a  common  mur- 
derer and  thief,  the  proofs  must  be  as  clear 
as  daylight.  Only  when  we  deliver  him  over 
to  them,  and  they  must  do  their  part,  can  we 
be  sure  of  them.  I  would  sooner  confide  in 
our  Clerk ;  he  would  throw  all  forbearance  to 
the  winds;  but  should  we  admit  him  to  our 
confidence  now,  we  should  be  placing  him  in 
a  very  embarrassing  position,  for  the  District 
Judge  is,  after  all,  his  chief.  Therefore,  not  a 
word,  Herr  Professor,  until  we  have  further 
proofs  against  the  scoundrel.  Now  that  we 
are  on  .the  scent,  it  will,  I  hope,  not  be  long." 


246  The  Lonely  House 

I  was  obliged  to  admit  that  the  doctor's 
plan  was  the  right  one,  and  my  admission  nat- 
tered him. 

"Do  you  not  remember  how  day  before 
yesterday  evening  the  Judge  said  with  a 
sneer, '  A  great  criminal  lawyer  is  lost  in  you, 
doctor'?  I  will  prove  to  him  that  he  was 
right.  Only  trust  me,  Herr  Professor;  you 
shall  not  repent  it.  But  be  sure  to  follow  a 
piece  of  advice  which  I  must  give  you.  Re- 
member that  it  is  to  the  Judge's  interest  to  be 
rid  of  you ;  therefore,  beware  of  him.  It  will 
do  no  harm  to  have  your  revolver  where  you 
can  reach  it  in  a  moment,  day  or  night." 

I  promised  to  follow  his  advice.  We  talked 
on  for  half  an  hour  very  pleasantly.  The 
doctor  was  in  the  best  humour  in  the  world, 
and  the  charming  little  Anna  was  now  so  full 
of  hope  for  a  speedy  reunion  with  her  Franz 
that  she  almost  forgot  her  grief  at  his  im- 
prisonment. She  was  indeed  a  lovely  child, 
and  as  she  talked  on  so  heart-free  and  confi- 
dentially with  us  two  old  men,  I  was  really  in 
love  with  her  myself.  Upon  their  departure 
the  doctor  promised  me  that  he  would  allow 
me  to  leave  my  bed  on  the  following  day,  and 


An  Arrest  247 

Anna  promised  to  pay  me  repeated  visits  so 
long  as  I  was  confined  to  my  room.  Thus  we 
parted  in  the  most  friendly  manner.  The 
doctor  turned  as  he  was  about  to  close  the 
door  behind  him  and  said : 

"Do  you  know,  Herr  Professor,  what  com- 
forts me  in  this  cursed  affair  ? ' ' 

"What!" 

"That  Foligno  is  no  Slav,  but  an  Italian. 
Believe  me,  a  Slav  would  be  incapable  of  such 
villainy.  Good-night,  Herr  Professor." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AN  OLD   CHEST. 

THEEE  very  wearisome  days  ensued.  To  be 
sure,  I  was  allowed  to  leave  my  bed  and  was 
no  longer  forced  to  apply  cold  bandages  to 
my  sprained  ankle,  but  I  was  a  prisoner  on  a 
very  uncomfortable  sofa,  whereon  my  leg  was 
stretched  out,  and  therefore  condemned  to 
intolerable,  tedious  idleness.  I  could  not  even 
move  sufficiently  to  prepare  my  treasures 
— the  butterflies  and  beetles — for  my  collec- 
tion. My  beautiful  Ccecigena  caterpillars  had 
to  be  fed  by  Mizka,  and  I  was  obliged  to  con- 
gratulate myself  that  she  undertook  what 
must  have  been  a  very  humdrum  task  with 
amiable  readiness. 

For  three  days  the  doctor  had  decreed  that 
I  must  keep  a  recumbent  position ;  thereafter 
I  might  sit  up  on  the  sofa  and  move  about  the 
room  a  little.  I  looked  forward  to  the  expira- 
tion of  this  time  with  unfeigned  longing,  for 
such  enforced  idleness  is  intolerable  for  a 
healthy  man.  Visitors  were  not  lacking  dur- 

[248] 


An  Old  Chest  249 

ing  those  endless  three  days.  The  gentlemen 
of  Luttach  took  pains  to  entertain  me,  but 
their  visits  were  more  of  a  pain  than  a  pleas- 
ure, for  the  subject  of  their  conversation  was 
forever  the  same — the  assured  guilt  of  Franz 
Schorn.  No  one  had  the  least  doubt  that  he 
was  the  criminal.  The  Judge  had  shown  them 
so  many  proofs  of  it  that  they  were  almost 
provoked  with  me  because  I  would  not  join  in 
the  universal  condemnation  of  the  man,  but 
declared  that  it  was  our  duty  to  believe  in  the 
possibility  of  his  innocence  as  long  as  he  was 
not  officially  condemned.  More  than  this  I 
could  not  say,  after  my  promise  to  the  doctor, 
therefore  I  was  compelled  to  listen  silently 
when  the  alleged  proofs  of  Schorn 's  guilt 
were  discussed,  which  were  downright  fabri- 
cations. I  looked  forward  with  some  dread  to 
a  visit  from  the  Judge.  It  would  have  been 
almost  impossible  for  me  to  appear  unembar- 
rassed in  his  presence.  But  the  duty  of  play- 
ing the  hypocrite  and  feigning  friendship  was 
fortunately  not  enforced  upon  me.  He  not 
only  did  not  call  upon  me,  but  sent  an  excuse 
by  Mizka.  He  was  forced  to  go  to  Gb'rz  for  a 
few  days,  and  had  so  much  to  do  before  his 


250  The  Lonely  House 

departure  that  he  had  not  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  to  call  his  own.  Upon  his  return  he 
hoped  to  find  me  entirely  recovered. 

The  doctor  was  irritated  by  this  journey. 
It  deranged  his  schemes.  He  wished  to  have 
an  opportunity  to  watch  the  man  narrowly, 
which  it  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  do  in 
Gorz,  the  doctor  was  not,  therefore,  in  a  very 
good  humour,  and  his  visits  would  have  con- 
tributed but  little  to  my  enlivenment  had  not 
the  charming  little  Anna  always  accompanied 
him.  The  lovely  young  girl  crept  further  and 
further  into  my  heart  with  every  visit.  While 
we  two  old  men  were  feverish  with  impatience 
to  act,  she  bore  this  state  of  anxiety  with 
angelic  patience  and  admirable  serenity.  She 
was  firm  in  her  pious  faith  in  Divine  justice ; 
she  was  sure  that  we  should  succeed  in  rescu- 
ing the  innocent  and  in  bringing  the  guilty  to 
punishment.  This  conviction  made  it  possible 
for  her  to  wait  patiently. 

At  last  the  tiresome  three  days  were  over. 
On  the  fourth  day  the  doctor  gave  me  permis- 
sion to  sit  up  on  the  sofa,  and  as  long  as  my 
foot  did  not  pain  me,  to  take  several  steps 
about  my  room.  I  breathed  more  freely.  Now 


An  Old  Chest  251 

I  could  occupy  myself.  Before  my  accident 
I  had  collected  a  wealth  of  material  which 
had  all  to  be  arranged.  My  Lepidoptera  were 
to  be  mounted,  my  Coleoptera  prepared,  some 
doubtful  species  named,  etc.  Thus  I  had  an 
abundance  of  work  for  several  days  and  need 
fear  no  ennui. 

Of  course,  I  wished  to  begin  work  immedi- 
ately, when  an  obstacle  presented  itself  which 
I  had  never  thought  of.  I  had  no  place  to 
spread  out  my  entomological  treasures,  or 
where  I  could  put  my  boards  for  mounting  the 
butterflies,  which  were  now  packed  together  in 
my  trunk,  but  would  take  considerable  room 
when  spread  out  to  receive  the  precious  in- 
sects. Hitherto  I  had  found  the  lack  of  furni- 
ture in  my  simple  room  not  inconvenient,  but 
now  it  became  so.  If  I  could  only  have  a 
bureau  with  two  or  three  drawers  in  which  I 
could  lay  the  boards  for  the  accommodation 
of  my  spoils,  all  would  be  well  and  I  should 
be  quite  content. 

Perhaps  Frau  Franzka  could  help  me. 
There  must  be  some  such  bureau  in  Luttach. 
Frau  Franzka  was  summoned.  The  word 
"bureau"  she  did  not  understand,  but  when 


252  The  Lonely  House 

I  described  to  her  the  piece  of  furniture  that 
I  wished,  she  exclaimed  joyfully: 

"Ah,  the  Herr  Professor  means  a  chest! 
That  is  easily  procured.  Upstairs  in  the 
Judge's  sleeping-room  there  is  a  large  old 
chest  with  four  drawers.  It  is  not  beautiful, 
but  very  roomy.  If  the  Herr  Professor  would 
like  it,  I  will  gladly  have  it  brought  down. ' ' 

Its  lack  of  beauty  was  of  no  consequence  to 
me,  in  consideration  of  the  space  it  afforded, 
but  I  did  not  like  to  take  the  chest  from  the 
chamber  of  the  Judge.  I  preferred  not  to  ask 
of  him  the  smallest  favour.  I  said  so  to  Frau 
Franzka,  but  she  made  light  of  my  scruples, 
saying : 

"The  Herr  Foligno  never  uses  the  old 
chest.  He  used  to  put  his  linen  in  it,  but  now 
he  keeps  it  in  a  very  fine  new  chest  which  I 
bought  for  him,  and  which  stands  in  his  par- 
lour. The  old  chest  is  empty ;  the  Judge  will 
be  glad  to  have  it  taken  out  of  his  room. ' ' 

1 '  But  Herr  Foligno  is  still  away.  You  can- 
not ask  his  permission." 

"It  is  not  necessary.  The  chest  belongs  to 
me.  Herr  Foligno,  besides,  owes  me  a  great 
deal  of  money,  and  he  cannot  object  to  my 


An  Old  Chest  253 

bringing  down  for  the  Herr  Professor  an 
old  chest  which  he  does  not  use." 

I  tried  to  make  objection,  but  Frau  Franzka 
was  a  resolute  lady,  and  persisted  in  what  she 
had  once  decided  upon.  She  called  her  hus- 
band and  a  servant,  and  sent  them  up  into  the 
Judge's  sleeping-room  to  bring  down  the 
chest,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  against  the  long 
bare  wall  of  my  room  there  stood  a  large,  old- 
fashioned  bureau,  not  elegant,  indeed,  but 
painted  black,  and  with  four  drawers  which 
gave  abundant  room  for  my  requirements. 

"There  is  the  old  chest,"  Frau  Franzka 
said  with  satisfaction.  ' '  The  Herr  Professor 
need  not  fear;  I  will  take  it  upon  myself  to 
settle  matters  with  the  Judge;  but  I  must 
see  if  he  has  left  anything  in  the  drawers.  I 
don't  think  so,  but  if  it  should  be  the  case,  I 
can  easily  transfer  them  to  his  new  chest." 

She  tried  to  draw  out  the  topmost  drawer 
by  its  metal  handles,  but  it  would  not  open. 

"That  is  strange,"  she  said.  "The  wood 
must  have  swelled  so  that  the  drawer  sticks." 

' '  Perhaps  it  is  locked, ' '  I  remarked. 

"Oh,  no,  certainly  not.  The  Judge  never 
locks  his  chests ;  he  always  leaves  them  open, 


254  The  Lonely  House 

and,  besides,  I  do  not  know  whether  he  had 
any  key,  but  we  can  soon  see.  There  is  just 
such  another  chest  in  our  sleeping-room;  my 
husband  has  the  key  and  we  can  see  if  it  will 
open  it." 

She  said  several  words  in  Slavonic  to  her 
husband,  and  he  took  a  queer  little  key  out  of 
his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  her. 

The  key  fitted  in  the  lock  and  turned.  Frau 
Franzka  then  opened  the  topmost  drawer 
without  difficulty.  She  glanced  inside  it  and 
recoiled  with  a  slight  scream. 

"Oh,  Holy  Virgin !"  she  cried,  clasping  her 
hands.  "What  is  all  this!  A  shirt,  a  summer 
suit,  a  silk  pocket  handkerchief,  all  spotted 
with  blood,  and  oh,  blessed  Maria,  who  would 
have  thought  that  Herr  Foligno  had  so  much 
money  hid  away  in  this  old  chest ! ' ' 

Instantly  I  was  possessed  by  a  strange 
foreboding.  There  lay  the  money  which  the 
murderer  had  stolen  from  his  victim.  I 
sprang  up  from  the  sofa  without  thinking  of 
my  sprained  ankle  and  walked  hastily  across 
the  room,  never  heeding  the  pain. 

Yes,  there  lay  the  stolen  money.  Several 
packages  of  banknotes  of  a  hundred  gulden 


An  Old  Chest  255 

each,  and  beside  them  a  bundle  of  papers  of 
value,  the  topmost  of  these  showing  the  same 
dark  spots,  traces  of  the  blood  from  the 
wounded  hand  of  the  murderer,  who  had 
taken  no  care  to  avoid  staining  them.  Here, 
hidden  away  in  the  old  chest,  were  the  proofs 
of  the  murderer's  guilt;  the  bloodstained 
clothing  which  he  had  worn  when  he  commit- 
ted the  deed;  and  the  handkerchief  which  I 
had  given  to  him  was  there  also.  If  there  had 
been  any  doubt  until  now  as  to  the  identity  of 
the  criminal,  it  vanished  on  the  instant.  Link 
by  link  in  an  indestructible  chain  the  proofs 
were  clearly  here  for  the  conviction  of  the 
District  Judge.  In  fancy  I  saw  him  contem- 
plating his  murderous  scheme,  walking  up 
the  rocky  path  towards  the  Lonely  House.  He 
knew  that  he  should  find  the  old  man  alone 
there ;  he  had  been  told  this  on  the  day  before. 
Anna  had  thoughtlessly  informed  him  that  her 
father  would  be  alone  in  the  afternoon.  Her 
account  of  the  considerable  amount  of  money 
which  the  old  man  had  received  by  the  morn- 
ing's post  had  begotten  the  murderous  scheme. 
He  reaches  the  house,  no  one  having  seen  him 
on  the  rocky  pathway.  He  looks  about  him. 


256  The  Lonely  House 

No  human  being  is  near  who  could  observe 
him.  He  does  not  dream  that  Anna  has  seen 
him.  He  knocks.  The  old  man  opens  the 
door  and  conducts  him  to  his  room,  where  a 
struggle  ensues,  a  struggle  in  which  the  mur- 
derer wounds  his  hand,  but  from  which  he 
comes  forth  victorious.  The  crime  is  com- 
mitted. The  murderer  with  his  bleeding  hand 
has  taken  the  banknotes  and  papers  from  the 
desk  which  he  knew  so  well ;  in  his  excitement 
he  has  hardly  noticed  that  he  was  wounded. 
He  is  suddenly  conscious  of  pain  in  his  hand, 
and  the  thought  occurs  to  him  that  his  wound 
might  betray  him.  With  terror  he  perceives 
that  his  dress,  his  shirt,  his  waistcoat  and 
trousers,  all  wear  bloody  traces  of  the  strug- 
gle. He  tries  to  remove  them  with  his  hand- 
kerchief, but  in  vain.  How  can  he  explain 
these  stains  when  he  returns  to  Luttach?  He 
devises  one  means — to  declare  that  he  fell 
among  the  rocks  and  wounded  his  hand. 
Every  one  knows  that  he  frequently  climbs 
about  among  the  rocks  and  how  easily  such 
an  accident  might  occur.  If  he  can  bring  back 
to  the  old  naturalist  a  rare  plant  which  usu- 
ally grows  upon  almost  inaccessible  rocks,  his 


An  Old  Chest  257 

story  of  a  fall  will  be  all  the  more  credible. 
The  Ophrys  Bertolini  grows  in  the  neighbour- 
hood ;  except  himself  no  one  knows  the  local- 
ity. It  is  easily  reached ;  he  hastily  plucks  the 
beautiful  flowers,  losing  his  handkerchief  as 
he  does  so,  but  without  noticing  it  he  hurries 
away  from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Lonely 
House. 

Fortune  favours  him.  No  one  meets  him; 
no  one  sees  him  when  he  reaches  the  inn  and 
hastens  to  his  chamber.  There  he  locks  him- 
self in ;  he  must  change  his  clothes ;  but  what 
shall  he  do  with  his  bloodstained  apparel? 
Suddenly  the  old  bureau  occurs  to  him;  it 
stands  unused  in  his  sleeping-room.  He  could 
not  have  a  better,  a  more  secure  hiding  place. 
He  conceals  the  clothes  and  his  plunder  in  the 
top  drawer,  locks  it,  and  puts  the  key  in  his 
pocket.  Now  he  is  safe ;  no  suspicion  can  pos- 
sibly fall  upon  him,  the  Judge,  the  most 
prominent  official  in  the  town.  There  can  be 
no  searching  of  his  room.  He  himself  would 
superintend  whatever  search  there  might  be. 
The  bloodstained  clothing,  the  banknotes  and 
the  papers  could  be  nowhere  more  safe  from 
discovery  than  in  the  locked  drawer  of  the  old 

17 


258  The  Lonely  House 

bureau.  He  breathes  more  freely.  There  is  a 
knock  at  the  door.  The  old  Professor  asks 
for  admission.  He  is  obliged  to  receive  him. 
This  will  give  him  an  opportunity  of  relating 
the  story  of  his  fall  among  the  rocks.  He  is 
dismayed  at  learning  that  the  murder  has 
been  discovered  sooner  than  he  anticipated, 
but  he  composes  himself,  and  when  he  hears 
that  Franz  Schorn  has  been  seen  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  Lonely  House,  he  devises  a  plan  for 
throwing  suspicion  upon  him,  his  mortal 
enemy,  and  with  vindictive  cunning  proceeds 
to  carry  it  out,  using  every  circumstance  that 
could  lead  step  by  step  to  the  consummation 
of  the  crime  without  exposing  himself  at  any 
point.  Thus  he  feels  perfectly  safe,  when 
suddenly  he  makes  the  terrible  discovery  that 
there  exists  a  witness  against  him.  The  old 
Professor  has  found  his  bloody  handkerchief 
near  the  Lonely  House.  He  finds  it  easy  to 
deceive  the  unsuspicious  old  man.  He  suc- 
ceeds in  convincing  him  that  Franz  Schorn  is 
the  murderer,  but  as  long  as  the  Professor 
lives,  the  danger  of  detection  hangs  over  his 
head.  He  induces  the  foolish  old  man  to  un- 
dertake expeditions  among  the  most  danger- 


An  Old  Chest  259 

ous  rocks,  in  the  hope  of  his  falling  a  victim  to 
some  accident,  but  when  this  scheme  fails,  he 
determines  to  efface  all  trace  of  the  first  mur- 
der by  a  second.  The  exploration  of  the  cave, 
in  which  he  asks  to  join,  furnishes  a  means  to 
do  so.  The  Professor  must  die,  but  before  his 
death  he  must  send  the  official  deposition 
which  is  so  essential  for  Schorn's  conviction. 

Here  also  his  murderous  design  fails,  but 
he  manages  to  cast  suspicion  upon  Franz 
Schorn  in  the  matter  of  cutting  the  rope,  and 
the  young  man  is  arrested.  The  murderer 
triumphs. 

Then  by  a  marvellous  chance  the  old  chest 
is  opened  during  his  absence  from  home,  and 
the  clear  proofs  of  his  guilt  are  discovered 
by  the  very  man  whom  he  wished,  as  the  only 
witness  against  him,  to  remove  from  his  path. 

I  stood  paralyzed  before  the  open  drawer. 
All  the  past,  which  it  has  taken  minutes  to 
relate,  flashed  upon  my  mind  with  the  speed 
of  lightning.  The  proofs  of  the  murderer's 
guilt  which  the  doctor  had  been  so  anxious  to 
obtain  were  now  before  me.  Chance  had 
placed  them  in  my  hands.  What  was  I  to 
make  of  this  chance  was  the  next  question. 


260  The  Lonely  House 

"We  must  not  touch  these  things,"  I  said 
to  Frau  Franzka,  who  with  her  old  husband 
stood  speechless  with  astonishment,  gazing  at 
the  money  in  the  drawer.  They  had  never  in 
their  lives  seen  so  much  at  a  time.  "The 
Judge  might  suspect  us  of  having  taken  some 
of  his  heap  of  money.  Lock  the  drawer  again, 
Frau  Franzka;  we  will  give  the  key  to  the 
Clerk,  and  the  doctor  shall  be  witness  that  we 
do  so.  We  three,  you,  your  husband  and  I, 
will  stay  here  until  Mizka  fetches  the  doctor 
and  the  Clerk,  and  we  can  each  testify  that 
none  of  the  money  has  been  taken." 

"So  much  money!  And  he  owes  me  over 
five  hundred  gulden,  with  all  that  pile  in  his 
drawer!"  exclaimed  Frau  Franzka,  who  was 
reluctant  to  lose  sight  of  the  banknotes,  but 
on  my  reiterated  request,  she  locked  it  up,  and 
then  called  Mizka,  telling  her  to  go  immedi- 
ately for  the  Herr  Einern  and  the  doctor, 
begging  them  to  come  as  quick  as  possible  to 
the  Herr  Professor  in  the  "Golden  Vine." 

We  had  not  long  to  wait.  The  doctor  came 
first.  Mizka  met  him  in  the  street  near  the 
house.  I  drew  him  aside  and  told  him  in  a 
whisper  of  the  contents  of  the  upper  drawer 


An  Old  Chest  261 

of  the  bureau.  He  was  beside  himself  with 
joy. 

"We  have  him!  We  have  him!"  he  ex- 
claimed aloud,  with  what  was  almost  a  leap  in 
the  air.  Only  when  he  saw  the  stare  with 
which  Frau  Franzka  and  her  husband  re- 
garded him — they  might  well  have  supposed 
he  had  lost  his  wits — he  grew  calmer,  and  I 
told  him  that  I  had  sent  also  for  the  Clerk. 

' '  Quite  right, ' '  he  said.  ' '  We  must  tell  him 
everything.  Now  that  we  have  such  positive 
proof  of  the  Judge's  guilt,  he  can  act,  and  he 
must  act.  He  is  a  brave  and  honourable 
man.  He  will  fulfil  the  promise  he  once  made 
to  our  little  Anna.  Here  he  comes.  I  hear 
his  step  on  the  stair." 

The  Clerk  entered  the  room.  He  seemed 
surprised  on  finding  the  doctor  and  my  host 
and  hostess.  Frau  Franzka  hurried  towards 
him.  She  had  been  silent  so  long  that  she  was 
eager  to  pour  out  her  heart.  In  a  burst  of 
Slavonic,  of  which  I  did  not  understand  one 
syllable,  she  talked  away  to  the  Clerk,  who 
listened  with  the  deepest  attention.  I  would 
not  interrupt  her,  for  I  could  easily  perceive 
from  her  gestures  what  she  was  relating.  The 


262  The  Lonely  House 

Clerk's  face  grew  darker  and  darker  as  Frau 
Fanzka  continued.  At  last  she  paused  and 
delivered  to  him  the  key  of  the  bureau.  He 
then  turned  to  me  and  said  very  gravely : 

'  *  Frau  Franzka  has  told  me  of  the  remark- 
able discovery  which  she  has  made  in  that 
bureau.  Before  I  examine  its  contents  I  wish 
to  hear  what  you  have  to  say,  Herr  Professor. 
I  assume  that  you  have  summoned  me  hither, 
not  as  your  friend  of  the  evenings  about  the 
round  table,  but  as  the  Clerk,  the  only  repre- 
sentative of  the  law  in  the  Judge's  absence.  I 
shall  therefore  receive  what  you  have  to  say, 
not  as  the  testimony  of  a  friend,  but  officially. 
Frau  Franzka,  you  will  retire  to  another 
room  with  your  husband,  while  I  hear  what 
the  Herr  Professor  has  to  tell.  I  warn  you  to 
say  not  one  word  to  any  one — I  repeat,  to  any 
one — of  what  you  have  discovered  in  the 
drawer  there.  You  will  expose  yourself  to 
grave  penalties  if  you  should  refuse  to  follow 
my  direction.  Wait  quietly  until  I  send  for 
you.  Very  shortly  I  will  summon  you  and 
your  husband  to  swear  to  whatever  you  have 
to  say.  Now  go.  Do  you  desire,  Herr  Pro- 
fessor, that  the  doctor  should  withdraw 
also?" 


An  Old  Chest  263 

"No.  On  the  contrary,  I  desire  his  pres- 
ence during  my  deposition,  which  I  must  make 
to  you.  He  can  complete  what  I  have  to  say." 

I  waited  until  the  host  and  hostess  had  obe- 
diently withdrawn,  and  then  I  addressed  the 
Clerk. 

"On  the  day  on  which  the  miserable  old 
Pollenz  was  murdered,  it  was  to  you  that  his 
daughter  turned,  enjoining  upon  you  the  duty 
of  discovering  the  murderer  and  delivering 
him  to  justice.  I  heard  the  young  girl's  mov- 
ing appeal  and  was  a  witness  of  your  silent 
promise  to  her.  I  now  desire  from  you  the 
fulfilment  of  that  promise. ' ' 

"I  will  fulfil  my  duty.  The  guilty  man, 
whosoever  he  may  be,  shall  not  escape  pun- 
ishment if  proof  sufficient  can  be  adduced  of 
his  guilt." 

' '  This  proof  I  am  prepared  to  give,  and  so 
clearly  that  no  doubt  can  remain  in  your 
mind.  Listen." 

I  had  imposed  a  hard  task  upon  myself — 
that  of  succinctly  informing  the  Clerk  of  all 
the  facts  which  sufficed  to  weld  a  chain  of 
proof  against  the  murderer ;  the  part  he  had 
played  towards  me,  arousing  in  me  suspicions 


264  The  Lonely  House 

not  only  of  Franz  Schorn,  but  of  the  lovely 
Anna,  in  order  to  procure  my  signature  to 
the  deposition  which  he  made  out  and  sent  to 
Laibach.  I  recalled  as  well  as  I  could  the 
words  which  the  murderer  had  dictated  to 
me ;  every  one  of  those  words  seemed  to  form 
a  link  in  the  chain  of  proof;  and,  in  conclu- 
sion, I  described  to  him  the  contents  of  the  old 
bureau,  saying: 

"This  is  the  accumulated  evidence  which 
I  hand  over  to  you,  and  I  demand  that  in  vir- 
tue of  your  office  the  true  criminal  shall  be 
delivered  to  the  authorities  in  Laibach,  so 
that  an  innocent  man  may  not  wear  disgrace- 
ful fetters  an  hour  longer  than  is  .absolutely 
necessary." 

"You  impose  a  fearful  responsibility  upon 
me,  but  I  shall  not  refuse  to  accept  it,"  the 
Clerk  replied  with  a  profound  sigh.  "What 
you  have  just  told  me  confirms  a  horrible  sus- 
picion which  I  have  had  ever  since  the  day  of 
the  murder.  I  never  believed  in  Schorn 's 
guilt.  I  always  had  a  secret  doubt  of  the 
Judge,  but  I  dared  not  give  expression  to  it ; 
it  was  impossible  to  gather  the  smallest  evi- 
dence against  him.  I  take  upon  myself  great 


An  Old  Chest  265 

responsibility  in  proceeding  against  my  chief, 
in  arresting  him,  and  transferring  him  to 
Laibach,  but  it  must  be  done  as  soon  as  he 
returns  from  Gorz.  I  will  employ  this  day  in 
examining  all  the  testimony  you  have  here 
given  me,  as  well  as  the  witnesses — yourself, 
Fraulein  Anna  Pollenz,  Frau  Franzka  and 
her  husband — and  then  I  will  send  to  Laibach 
all  the  material  I  have  collected,  with  the 
bloodstained  clothing  and  the  banknotes.  The 
Attorney  General  there  will  do  his  duty.  I 
transcend  my  powers  perhaps  in  thus  fore- 
stalling my  chief.  I  will "  he  paused, 

listening. 

A  vehicle  rolled  through  the  narrow  street 
and  stopped  before  the  house.  The  doctor 
hurried  to  the  window. 

"The  Judge,"  he  cried,  "has  just  descend- 
ed from  the  carriage  and  has  entered  the 
house." 

The  Clerk  started  and  grew  pale. 

' '  He  comes  too  early, ' '  he  said.  *  *  I  have  no 
officially  confirmed  evidence  against  him.  I 
have  no  right  to  arrest  him. ' ' 

"Will  you  give  him  time  to  escape?"  cried 
the  doctor.  "If  he  goes  to  his  chamber  and 


266  The  Lonely  House 

misses  the  old  bureau,  he  will  know  that  he  is 
found  out." 

"You  are  right.  I  will  dare  all.  Let  me 
have  paper,  pen  and  ink,  Herr  Professor,  as 
quickly  as  possible,  for  at  this  moment  I  am 
the  representative  of  the  law  in  Luttach.  The 
Judge  has  not  yet  exhausted  his  leave  of 
absence ;  he  has  not  yet  resumed  the  duties  of 
his  office."  He  wrote  a  few  lines  hurriedly. 
' '  This  order  must  go  immediately  to  the  cap- 
tain of  the  gendarmes.  Will  you  undertake  to 
carry  it,  Herr  Doctor?" 

"With  all  the  pleasure  in  life.  In  five 
minutes  I  will  be  here  again  with  the  gen- 
darmes. The  bird  shall  not  escape, ' '  cried  the 
doctor,  as  he  snatched  the  order  from  the 
Clerk's  hand  and  rushed  away  without  a  mo- 
ment's delay.  He  could  hardly  have  reached 
the  front  door,  when  from  above  came  the 
voice  of  the  Judge,  calling : 

"Mizka!  Mizka!" 

Mizka  replied  from  below  in  a  few  Slavonic 
words,  and  a  loud,  brief  conversation  ensued 
in  that  language. 

"He  has  missed  the  bureau  and  Mizka  is 
telling  him  that  it  has  been  taken  down  to 


An  Old  Chest  267 

your  room  because  you  needed  it,  Herr  Pro- 
fessor," the  Clerk  whispered  to  me. 

The  Judge  overhead  uttered  a  wild  Sla- 
vonic curse.  We  heard  his  resounding  tread 
as  he  rushed  down  the  stairs  and  then,  without 
knocking,  threw  open  the  door  of  my  room 
and  entered.  When  he  found  that  I  was  not 
alone,  but  that  the  Clerk  was  with  me,  he 
started  back,  and  remained  for  a  moment  on 
the  threshold  gazing  at  the  Clerk  and  myself 
with  a  keen,  searching  look,  which  afterwards 
flashed  round  the  room  as  if  in  quest  of  some- 
thing. When  it  rested  on  the  blackened,  old 
bureau,  he  fell  into  a  rage,  and,  coming  up  to 
me,  demanded  in  a  furious  tone : 

"How  dared  you  have  my  furniture  re- 
moved from  my  room  in  my  absence  and 
placed  here  for  your  own  use?" 

As  he  spoke  these  words  he  was  ghastly  to 
look  upon;  his  pale  lips  quivered,  his  dark 
eyes  glittered  in  his  sallow  face,  and  were 
again  riveted  with  an  indescribable  expres- 
sion upon  the  old  bureau. 

His  insolence  aroused  my  indignation,  but 
I  forced  myself  to  reply  to  him  calmly. 

"I  must  beg  you  to  speak  more  courte- 


268  The  Lonely  House 

ously,"  I  answered,  suppressing  my  detesta- 
tion. "If  you  conceive  that  there  has  been 
an  infringement  of  your  rights,  it  is  not  to 
me  that  you  must  appeal,  but  to  Prau 
Franzka.  She  told  me  that  this  old  bureau 
was  never  used  by  you,  and  that  you  would  be 
glad  to  have  so  superfluous  a  piece  of  furni- 
ture removed  from  your  room.  Only  upon 
her  assurance  that  this  was  the  case  did  I 
consent  to  have  it  brought  hither. ' ' 

My  reply  seemed  to  quiet  him  somewhat. 
He  lowered  his  voice  as  he  continued : 

"You  see  that  I  do  use  it.  The  upper 
drawer  is  locked.'* 

He  went  up  to  the  bureau  and  pulled  the 
metal  handles  of  the  upper  drawer.  Upon 
finding  that  it  would  not  open,  he  breathed 
more  freely  and  turned  to  me  again,  with  a 
wholly  different  expression  of  countenance. 

"Excuse  my  rude  manner,"  he  suddenly 
said,  in  a  very  friendly  way;  "I  was  angry. 
It  irritated  me  that  the  furniture  of  my  room 
should  be  meddled  with.  The  old  bureau 
serves  me  as  a  receptacle  for  old  clothes.  I 
must  therefore  beg  that  it  be  returned  to  me. ' ' 

"It  was  delivered  to  me  by  its  owner,  Frau 


An  Old  Chest  269 

Franzka.  I  have  no  authority  over  its  re- 
moval. ' ' 

"You  refuse!"  he  said,  flaming  up  again; 
but  he  mastered  himself,  only  giving  me  a 
sinister  look,  as  he  opened  the  door  and  called 
loudly  into  the  hall : 

' '  Frau  Franzka !    Frau  Franzka ! ' ' 

The  host  and  hostess  had  been  waiting  in 
another  room  for  the  summons  of  the  Clerk. 
They  now  appeared,  Frau  Franzka  with  a 
very  embarrassed  countenance,  where  the 
consciousness  of  guilt  was  openly  to  be  seen. 
Now  that  the  Judge  was  present,  any  com- 
mand of  the  Clerk  would  avail  nothing  with 
her.  She  must  reply  to  whatever  the  Judge 
should  ask. 

"How  dare  you  have  that  chest  taken  from 
my  room?  It  must  be  carried  up  again  im- 
mediately. ' ' 

Shyly  and  trembling  with  fear  Frau 
Franzka  gazed  at  the  angry  man. 

"Do  not  be  so  angry,  Herr  Foligno,"  she 
said.  "I  thought  the  chest  was  quite  empty. 
I  should  not  have  brought  it  down  here  if  I 
had  known  that  you  had  so  much  money  in  it. 
But  we  did  not  touch  it.  Herr  von  Einern 
has  the  key." 


270  The  Lonely  House 

The  effect  of  these  words  upon  the  man 
was  terrible.  He  staggered  back  as  if  struck 
by  a  sudden  blow,  staring  from  Frau  Franzka 
to  the  Clerk.  He  bit  his  lips  without  feeling 
that  he  drew  blood  and  that  a  drop  trickled 
down  his  chin.  Frau  Franzka 's  simple  words 
had  revealed  all ;  his  secret  was  betrayed ;  his 
guilt  discovered. 

Only  for  a  second  did  terror  paralyze  him. 
He  quickly  collected  himself,  seeing  that  the 
only  possibility  of  escape  lay  in  maintaining 
absolute  calmness,  and  with  wonderful  self- 
control  he  said  in  a  menacing  tone : 

"You  presumed  to  open  the  chest  with  a 
master  key,  and  you,  Herr  von  Einern,  have 
this  master  key  in  your  possession.  I  de- 
mand that  it  be  instantly  delivered  to  me." 

Hitherto  the  Clerk  had  stood  with  folded 
arms,  a  motionless  spectator  of  the  scene  be- 
fore him.  A  contemptuous  smile  played  about 
his  lips.  He  made  no  reply  to  the  Judge's 
demand. 

1  'You  do  not  answer  me.  You  refuse  to 
obey  my  orders!"  the  Judge  continued.  "I 
shall  hold  you  accountable  for  this.  Do  not 
forget,  sir,  that  this  forcible  breaking  open 


THEN    BEGAN    A    STRUGGLE,    A    FIGHT    FOR    LIFE   AND    DEATH 


An  Old  Chest  271 

of  my  property  with  a  master  key  is  a  crime 
for  which  I  hold  you  responsible.  I  leave  you 
now  to  take  instant  steps  for  the  enforcement 
of  my  right. ' ' 

He  turned  towards  the  door,  but  before  he 
had  advanced  a  step  the  Clerk  laid  his  hand 
upon  his  shoulder  and  said  with  grave  de- 
cision : 

"You  can  leave  this  room  only  as  a  pris- 
oner, Herr  Foligno.  You  are  arrested." 

The  Judge's  eyes  flashed  fire.  His  right 
hand  sought  his  breast  pocket  and  he  drew 
from  it  a  knife,  but  before  he  could  use  it  the 
Clerk  had  seized  him  by  the  wrist,  and  then 
began  a  struggle,  a  fight  for  life  and  death 
between  these  two  powerful  men. 

Frau  Franzka  screamed  with  terror;  her 
husband  stood  trembling  beside  her,  not  ven- 
turing to  come  to  the  help  of  the  wrestling 
pair;  but  I  summoned  all  the  physical  force 
that  I  possessed — my  foot  pained  me  terribly 
as  I  sprang  up,  but  I  did  not  heed  the  pain — 
and  I  was  just  in  the  nick  of  time ;  the  Judge 
had  torn  his  hand  loose  and  had  raised  it  for 
a  deadly  lunge  with  the  knife.  I  seized  his 
wrist  from  behind ;  the  Clerk  clutched  him  by 


272  The  Lonely  House 

the  throat,  and  our  united  strength  succeeded 
in  overpowering  him,  throwing  him  on  the 
ground,  and  holding  tight  his  right  hand, 
which  still  held  the  knife.  It  was  a  terrible 
moment;  my  strength  was  all  but  gone,  for 
the  desperate  wretch  made  frantic  efforts  to 
tear  himself  loose,  but  help  was  at  hand.  The 
doctor  rushed  into  the  room  with  three  gen- 
darmes following  him.  Without  a  thought  the 
active  little  man  threw  himself  upon  the 
Judge,  kneeled  upon  his  chest  and  helped  me 
to  hold  down  the  hand  that  held  the  knife. 

" Seize  and  bind  the  monster!"  he  cried  to 
the  gendarmes,  "or  he  will  do  more  mischief 
with  his  knife. ' ' 

The  Judge  could  not  but  see  that  all  further 
resistance  was  vain.  He  dropped  the  knife, 
which  I  seized  and  hurled  to  the  end  of  the 
room. 

"Let  me  go,"  he  said  sullenly.  "You  see 
that  I  can  no  longer  defend  myself." 

We  arose ;  first  the  Clerk,  then  I ;  I  limped 
back  in  positive  agony  to  my  sofa;  my  help 
was  no  longer  required.  The  Judge,  too, 
arose,  and,  panting,  stood  between  the  Clerk 
and  the  doctor.  He  had  given  up  all  hope  of 


An  Old  Chest  273 

escape,  for  the  three  gendarmes  blocked  all 
egress  from  the  room,  but  his  feverishly 
active  mind  devised  new  food  for  hope. 

"Captain,"  he  cried  to  the  captain  of  the 
gendarmes,  "captain,  I  call  you  to  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  maltreatment  I  have  received  from 
these  madmen,  who  have  attacked  me.  I  com- 
mand you  to  stand  by  me — me,  the  District 
Judge.  I  order  you  to  arrest  these  people,  the 
Clerk,  the  doctor  and  the  German  Professor. 
I  take  all  the  responsibility  upon  myself. ' ' 

The  captain's  martial  countenance  betrayed 
embarrassment.  He  looked  dubiously,  first  at 
the  Judge,  then  at  the  Clerk. 

"I  do  not  know  what  I  ought  to  do,"  he 
said,  turning  to  the  Clerk.  "You  command 
me  to  arrest  Herr  Foligno ;  he  commands  me 
to  arrest  you.  After  all,  he  is  the  District 
Judge." 

The  Clerk  hastily  approached  the  old, 
dingy  bureau,  took  a  key  from  his  pocket  and 
opened  the  upper  drawer. 

"I  command  you  to  arrest  a  murderer,"  he 
said.  "He,  and  not  Franz  Schorn,  committed 
the  murder  in  the  Lonely  House.  Here  are 
the  proofs — his  bloodstained  clothing  and  the 

18 


274  The  Lonely  House 

banknotes  which  he  stole.  The  responsibility 
is  yours  if  the  murderer  escapes  and  you  dis- 
obey my  commands." 

One  look  into  the  drawer,  and  the  captain 
hesitated  no  longer.  An  hour  afterwards,  be- 
tween two  gendarmes,  the  murderer  was 
driven  to  Laibach.  Half  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  Luttach  crowded  about  the  court  house 
to  see  him  driven  away.  The  report  had  cir- 
culated throughout  the  little  town  with  in- 
credible swiftness  that  not  Franz  Schorn,  but 
the  District  Judge  was  the  criminal.  When 
the  prisoner  was  led  from  the  court  house  to 
the  carriage  a  fierce  shout  of  rage  greeted 
him.  The  gendarmes  were  obliged  with  their 
weapons  to  keep  off  the  indignant  populace  in 
order  to  shield  the  prisoner  from  their  vio- 
lence. He,  on  his  part,  was  now  pale  and 
trembling  with  cowardly  fear;  curses  and 
execrations  followed  him  as  the  carriage 
drove  through  the  crowd. 

But  at  that  moment  the  lovely  little  Anna 
was  seated  on  my  sofa,  thanking  me  over  and 
over  again,  her  eyes  shining  with  joy — and 
what,  after  all,  had  I  done  to  deserve  her 
thanks  f 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  END  OP  THE  PROFESSOR 's  HOLIDAY. 

THE  doctor,  the  Burgomaster  and  the  Cap- 
tain had  driven  to  Laibach  to  require  person- 
ally the  instant  liberation  of  Franz  Schorn, 
whose  innocence  no  one  longer  doubted.  The 
doctor  had  promised  to  inform  me  by  letter 
of  the  result  of  his  efforts,  and  he  kept  his 
word.  On  the  second  day  I  received  a  long 
letter  from  him.  There  had  been  a  tremen- 
dous commotion  in  Laibach  when  the  District 
Judge  of  Luttach,  manacled  like  a  common 
criminal,  had  been  received  at  the  prison.  The 
ultra  Slavonic  newspapers  had  hitherto  tri- 
umphed in  the  announcement  that  the  only 
German  agitator  in  Luttach  was  nothing  more 
or  less  than  a  miserable,  ordinary  criminal, 
and  now  they  suffered  a  terrible  blow  in  that 
the  German  agitator  was  no  murderer;  the 
criminal  was  a  man  who,  although  of  Italian 
descent,  had  always  laboured  in  the  Slavonic 
cause.  The  Slav  party,  on  the  other  hand, 
were  half-inclined  to  swear  to  the  innocence 

[275] 


276  The  Lonely  House 

of  the  Judge  and  to  stake  all  on  the  guilt  of 
the  hated  German.  But  the  doctor  took  good 
care  that  every  scrap  of  evidence  against  the 
true  murderer  should  be  well  known ;  he  was 
himself  a  zealous  Slav,  but  so  conscientious 
and  honest  a  man,  and  so  well  known  as  priz- 
ing justice  far  above  national  prejudice,  that 
he  forced  the  newspapers  of  his  party,  by  his 
truthful  declarations,  to  advocate  the  cause 
of  Franz  Schorn,  which  they  reluctantly  did, 
although  not  very  enthusiastically.  They,  as 
well  as  the  doctor,  found  consolation,  how- 
ever, in  the  fact  that  District  Judge  Foligno 
was  no  true  Slav,  but  in  fact  an  Italian.  Of 
course  all  national  prejudices  were  powerless 
to  influence  the  court  at  Laibach.  The  doctor 
wrote  with  real  enthusiasm  in  regard  to  his 
reception  by  the  investigating  Judge,  who  had 
frankly  informed  him  that  suspicion  of  the 
District  Judge  had  arisen  in  his  mind  while 
he  was  investigating  the  matter  in  Luttach, 
suspicion  which  was  now  substantiated  by  the 
admirable  report  of  the  Clerk,  and  that  the 
evidence  had  created  conviction.  A  most 
disagreeable  task  lay  before  him  in  having  to 
investigate  the  actions  of  his  superior  in 


End  of  the  Professor's  Holiday    277 

office,  but  he  would  unflinchingly  follow  his 
duty.  The  Attorney  General,  who  had  hith- 
erto been  firmly  convinced  of  Schorn's  guilt, 
could  not  but  admit  the  evidence  of  his  inno- 
cence and  the  proof  of  the  Judge's  crimin- 
ality, and  the  honourable  liberation  of  Schorn 
from  imprisonment  must  take  place  immedi- 
ately. It  depended  only  upon  certain  formali- 
ties. If  the  Judge  could  be  brought  to  con- 
fess, Schorn's  freedom  would  be  on  the 
instant. 

This  hope,  however,  of  bringing  the  crim- 
inal to  an  open  confession  was  not  destined 
to  be  fulfilled.  He  maintained  his  innocence 
with  brazen  effrontery  until  his  hearing  be- 
fore the  court,  asserting  that  he  was  the  vic- 
tim of  shameful  intrigue.  All  the  evidence 
which  I,  the  German  Professor,  had  brought 
against  him  was  founded,  he  declared,  partly 
on  lies,  partly  on  prejudice.  It  was  not  true 
that  I  had  found  his  bloodstained  handker- 
chief in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Lonely 
House,  for  the  handkerchief  found  in  the 
drawer  he  had  never  lost.  The  blood  on  his 
handkerchief,  his  waistcoat,  and  his  trousers 
came  from  the  wound  in  his  hand  due  to  a  fall 


278  The  Lonely  House 

among  the  rocks  on  the  morning  of  the  day  of 
the  murder,  and  of  which  he  had  innocently 
informed  the  Professor.  He  declared  that  I 
had  found  him  changing  his  dress  when  I 
came  to  inform  him  of  the  discovery  of  the 
murdered  man  in  the  Lonely  House.  He  had 
locked  up  the  bloody  clothing  in  the  upper 
drawer  of  the  chest  in  his  sleeping  apartment 
in  my  presence,  and,  of  course,  I  knew  where 
it  was.  How  the  money  and  banknotes  came 
in  the  drawer  he  did  not  know,  but  he  sus- 
pected that  during  his  absence  I  had  placed 
them  there  myself,  or  had  bribed  Frau 
Franzke  to  put  them  into  the  chest  in  order 
that  the  farce  might  be  played  of  the  removal 
of  the  chest  to  my  room  and  the  discovery  of 
the  bloody  articles,  which  would  clear  Franz 
Schorn  of  the  guilt  of  the  murder  and  throw 
it  upon  himself,  the  District  Judge.  He  would 
not  venture  to  assert  that  I  was  Schorn 's  ac- 
complice in  the  crime,  although  it  was  possi- 
ble, but  I  was  certainly  his  accomplice  in  the 
theft  of  the  money.  Either  to  be  rid  of  this 
accomplice,  or  to  ensure  his  silence  by  saving 
his  life,  Schorn  had  cut  the  rope  in  the  cave. 
When  the  investigating  Judge  pointed  out 


End  of  the  Professor's  Holiday     279 

to  him  the  improbability,  nay  the  evident 
falsehood  of  this  clumsy  invention,  the  pris- 
oner stoutly  maintained  its  truth,  and  even 
asserted  that  I  had  come  to  Luttach,  on  the 
pretense  of  pursuing  natural  history  re- 
searches in  Ukraine,  in  the  interest  of  the 
German  clique  there,  and  to  this  end  I  had  en- 
tered into  close  relations  with  Schorn,  having 
as  their  result  this  scheme  to  ruin  him.  The 
Judge  displayed  an  eloquence  and  keenness 
of  intellect  in  proving  the  truth  of  his  state- 
ments which  the  investigating  Judge  could  not 
but  admire;  but,  upon  perceiving  that  he 
failed  entirely  in  making  any  impression  upon 
the  impartial  official,  who  was  himself  a  Slav, 
he  lost  courage,  and,  declaring  that  he  was 
too  exhausted  to  endure  further  questioning, 
begged  to  be  again  conducted  to  prison. 

An  hour  later  the  investigating  Judge  was 
informed  that  the  prisoner  had  committed 
suicide  in  his  cell.  How  he  had  contrived 
to  procure  the  knife  with  which  he  stabbed 
himself  to  the  heart  could  not  be  discovered. 
The  bitter  opponents  of  the  government  and 
of  the  court  in  Laibach  maintained  that  it  had 
been  conveyed  to  him  for  the  purpose  of  sui- 


280  The  Lonely  House 

cide,  in  order  that  the  court  might  be  relieved 
from  the  necessity  of  presenting  before  a 
jury  a  Slavonic  patriot  and  fellow-country- 
man as  a  murderer. 

11  Since  the  Judge's  suicide  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  confession,"  the  doctor  wrote, 
"we  are  momentarily  awaiting  the  liberation 
of  our  Franz.  We — the  good  Burgomaster, 
the  Captain  and  myself — are  burning  with 
eagerness  to  conduct  the  liberated  man  in 
triumph  to  Luttach.  I  will  tell  you  by  tele- 
gram when  we  may  be  expected." 

The  lovely  little  Anna  was  paying  me  a 
visit  when  I  received  the  doctor's  letter.  We 
read  it  together.  Tears  of  joy  filled  her  eyes 
as  we  came  to  the  end. 

"I  would  rather,"  she  said,  "have  Franz 
come  back  quietly,  without  any  public  demon- 
stration; but  the  good  doctor  is  right;  there 
ought  to  be  some  atonement  for  the  unjust 
disgrace  of  his  arrest,  and  this  must  be  made 
by  an  honourable  reception." 

All  the  men  of  the  round  table  in  the 
"Golden  Vine"  were  of  the  same  opinion. 

In  the  evening,  more  carried  than  sup- 
ported by  Mizka  and  Frau  Franzka,  I  ven- 


End  of  the  Professor's  Holiday     281 

tured  to  leave  my  room  and  to  take  my  place 
once  more  at  the  round  table.  I  was  received 
with  extravagant  delight.  When  I  read  aloud 
to  the  company  there  assembled  the  letter 
from  the  doctor,  they  declared  unanimously 
that  all  Luttach  must  combine  in  making 
brilliant  amends  to  Franz.  It  was  remark- 
able how  one  single  day  had  changed  the  mood 
of  every  one.  Mosic,  Weber,  Meyer,  Gunther, 
and  Dietrich,  hitherto  the  most  violent  oppo- 
nents of  "the  German,"  were  now  the  most 
zealous  to  obliterate  all  remembrance  of  their 
opposition.  They  could  not  praise  Franz  suf- 
ficiently, and  gravely  maintained  that  they 
never  had  believed  in  his  guilt. 

The  telegram  arrived  on  the  morning  of 
the  next  day,  announcing  that  our  friends 
would  arrive  in  Luttach  towards  noon.  I  sent 
it  to  the  Vice-Burgomaster,  who  had  begged 
me  to  give  him  the  earliest  intelligence,  that 
he  might  spread  it  through  the  town. 

The  time  for  festal  preparation  was  short, 
but  it  was  used  diligently  in  bringing  loads  of 
oaken  boughs  from  the  grove  on  the  Busina, 
in  making  wreaths  and  garlands  wherewith 
Schorn's  house  and  the  "Golden  Vine"  were 


282  The  Lonely  House 

decorated,  for  Franz  was  to  be  conducted  first 
to  the  ' '  Golden  Vine, ' '  where  in  the  garden  a 
cask  of  the  best  wine  was  to  be  broached,  and 
the  Vice-Burgomaster  was  to  welcome  him  in 
the  name  of  his  Luttach  fellow-citizens  and  to 
express  the  joy  that  all  felt  in  his  return,  as 
they  drank  to  his  health  and  welfare.  And 
thus  it  verily  happened.  All  Luttach  was 
astir  by  ten  o'clock.  There  were  crowds  on 
the  road  to  Adelsberg  and  on  the  square 
before  the  court  house  and  in  the  street  before 
the  " Golden  Vine."  When  the  carriages — 
two  of  them — at  last  came  in  sight,  Franz  was 
sitting  in  the  first  with  the  Burgomaster, 
while  in  the  second  the  doctor  drove  with  the 
Captain.  They  were  greeted  with  deafening 
applause  and  the  crowd  rushed  towards  them, 
all  striving  to  be  the  first  to  extend  a  welcome 
to  Franz  Schorn.  It  was  impossible  for  the 
carriage  to  proceed  through  the  crowded 
streets,  when  suddenly  a  stentorian  voice 
exclaimed : 

"Make  way!" 

It  was  the  voice  of  the  gigantic  Bassak.  He 
dextrously  unharnessed  the  horses,  and,  seiz- 
ing the  pole  himself,  assisted  by  two  savage- 


End  of  the  Professor's  Holiday     283 

looking  fellows — the  very  ones  who,  a  couple 
of  days  before,  would  have  been  willing  to 
kill  the  " murderer"  and  the  " German  dog" 
— on  they  went  to  the  "Golden  Vine."  A 
dozen  men  helped  to  pull  and  push  the  vehicle, 
while  Franz  kept  bowing  and  smiling  in  grate- 
ful acknowledgment  of  the  shouts  of  welcome. 
The  carriage  stopped  before  the  gateway 
of  the  hotel.  Franz  would  have  descended, 
but  strong  arms  lifted  him  to  Rassak's 
shoulders,  and  thus  he  was  carried  into  the 
garden.  The  doctor,  the  Burgomaster  and 
the  Captain  followed,  laughing.  The  festal 
programme  was  carried  out  in  the  garden,  ex- 
cept that  the  Burgomaster's  speech  and  one 
cask  of  wine  did  not  suffice.  Speech  followed 
speech,  and  I  should  have  had  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity of  admiring  the  Slavonic  eloquence,  if 
I  could  have  understood  a  word  of  it  all,  but, 
unfortunately,  the  words  were  all  Slavonic, 
even  those  in  which  Franz  thanked  the  as- 
sembly for  its  sympathetic  welcome.  I  could 
only  guess  at  what  he  said  from  the  shouts  of 
applause.  It  was  a  stormy  occasion  and,  after 
a  fashion,  a  brilliant  one,  but  it  was  not  ex- 
actlv  a  comfortable  festival.  This  we  had  in 


284  The  Lonely  House 

the  evening  at  the  house  of  the  doctor.  My 
presence  there,  pretty  little  Anna  declared, 
was  quite  indispensable,  and  so  Eassak  car- 
ried me  thither  on  his  burly  shoulders.  I 
could  not  possibly  have  walked.  The  doctor 
had  invited  only  the  Burgomaster,  the  Cap- 
tain, the  Clerk  and  myself  to  share  in  the  joy 
of  this  first  evening  of  the  reunion  of  the  be- 
trothed pair  and  to  be  the  witnesses  of  their 
happiness. 

I  certainly  never  passed  a  more  delightful 
evening.  It  was  a  positive  delight  to  me,  old 
man  that  I  am.  It  warmed  my  heart  to  be- 
hold the  handsome  couple  so  full  of  bright 
anticipations  for  the  future.  The  merriment 
in  our  small  circle  was  not  loud ;  we  were  all 
somewhat  under  the  influence  of  the  very  re- 
cent events,  but  we  all  quietly  rejoiced  in 
being  delivered  from  our  depressing  anxiety. 
The  doctor  himself  proposed  the  health  of  the 
young  couple,  and  in  a  short  speech  congratu- 
lated us  all  upon  the  happy  chance  which  had 
terminated  the  fearful  episode.  I  noticed 
that  as  he  spoke  the  beautiful  young  girl 
shook  her  head  as  if  in  disapproval.  The 
toast  was  drunk  with  enthusiasm,  and  Anna 


End  of  the  Professor's  Holiday     285 

joined  in  it;  but,  turning  to  the  doctor  and 
looking  at  him  very  gravely,  she  said : 

"It  was  no  chance  that  saved  my  Franz. 
It  was  God's  own  doing.  In  order  to  hide  his 
first  crime,  the  Judge  attempted  a  second ;  he 
cut  through  the  rope  in  the  cave  and,  as  a 
result,  Franz  saved  the  Professor's  life.  If 
Franz  had  not  thus  ventured  his  own  life,  he 
would  have  been  lost.  The  truth  would  never 
have  come  to  light.  If  the  Judge  had  not  cut 
the  rope,  the  Herr  Professor  would  not  have 
sprained  his  foot,  and  he  would  not  have  been 
forced  thereby  to  keep  his  room,  nor  would 
Frau  Franzka  have  tried  to  procure  him 
space  for  his  collection.  "Was  this  chance? 
No;  it  was  an  answer  to  my  prayer.  God 
ordained  that  Franz  should  risk  his  life  to 
find  his  life." 

"There  is  logic  in  your  words,  child,"  the 
doctor  said  with  a  smile;  "it  is  the  logic  of 
pious,  grateful  faith,  of  which  I  would  in 
nowise  deprive  you.  But  you  need  not  frown, 
little  girl,  if  I  speak  of  a  chance  which  we 
must  all  bless.  Chance  or  Providence,  the 
words  express  the  same  idea,  that  of  strangely 
combined  circumstances  leading  to  a  certain 


286  The  Lonely  House 

end.  Was  it  chance  or  Providence  that 
brought  our  dear  Herr  Professor  to  Luttach 
to  catch  butterflies,  and  that  the  Captain  sent 
him  on  the  very  first  day  up  to  St.  Nikolas, 
whence  he  returned,  thirsty,  to  the  Lonely 
House?  Keep  your  pious  belief,  child;  it 
will  be  a  source  of  hope  and  happiness  for 
you  while  life  lasts. ' ' 

Two  weeks  after  this  delightful  evening,  I 
left  Luttach  to  return  to  my  northern  home. 
I  should  have  liked  to  have  stayed  longer  in 
the  charming  little  town,  with  people  who  had 
grown  so  dear  to  me,  but  my  holidays  were  at 
an  end,  and  the  summer  heat  is  so  enervating 
at  my  age,  that  I  did  not  dare  to  stay  longer. 
I  took  leave  of  my  dear  ones  there,  but  I  have 
promised  to  return  next  spring,  for  I  would 
not  have  the  marriage  of  the  happy  couple 
celebrated  without  me. 

THE   END. 


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